Mat 9 | HCSB | STEP | So He got into a boat , crossed over , and came to His own town .

Matthew 9

The Son of Man Forgives and Heals

1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town. ^a 2 Just then ^b some men ^{▼▼Lit then they} brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.” ^d

3 At this, some of the ^{▼▼scribe(s): A professional group in Judaism that copied the law of Moses and interpreted it, especially in legal cases}scribes said among themselves, “He’s blaspheming!” ^f

4 But perceiving their thoughts, ^g Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts? ^{▼▼Or minds} 5 For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so you may know that the ^{▼▼Son of Man: The most frequent title Jesus used for Himself; Dn 7:13}Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” 7 And he got up and went home. 8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck ^{▼▼Other mss read amazed
,} ^{▼▼Lit afraid} and gave glory ^l to God who had given such authority to men.

The Call of Matthew

9 As Jesus went on from there, ^m He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So he got up and followed Him. ⁿ

10 While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat ^{▼▼Lit came, they were reclining (at the table); at important meals the custom was to recline on a mat at a low table and lean on the left elbow.} with Jesus and His disciples. ^p 11 When the ^{▼▼Pharisee(s): In Judaism a religious sect that followed the whole written and oral law}Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ^r

12 But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. ^s 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. ^{t
,} ^u For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” ^{▼▼Other mss add to repentance}

A Question about Fasting

14 Then John’s disciples came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” ^w

15 Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests ^{▼▼Lit the sons of the bridal chamber} be sad while the groom is with them? The time ^{▼▼Lit days} will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse. 17 And no one puts ^{▼▼Lit And they do not put} new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed

18 As He was telling them these things, ^aa suddenly one of the leaders ^{▼▼A leader of a synagogue; Mk 5:22} came and knelt down before Him, saying, “My daughter is near death, ^{▼▼Lit daughter has now come to the end} but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” ^ad 19 So Jesus and His disciples got up and followed ^ae him.

20 Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years approached from behind and touched the ^{▼▼tassel: Fringe put on the clothing of devout Jews to remind them to keep the law; Nm 15:37-41}tassel on His robe, ^ag 21 for she said to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well!” ^{▼▼Or be delivered
,} ^ai

22 But Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” He said. “Your faith has made you well.” ^{▼▼Or has saved you
,} ^ak And the woman was made well from that moment. ^{▼▼Lit hour}

23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house, He saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly. ^am 24 “Leave,” He said, “because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” ^an And they started laughing at Him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. ^ao 26 And this news spread throughout that whole area. ^ap

Healing the Blind

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” ^aq

28 When He entered the house, the blind men approached Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe ^ar that I can do this?”“Yes, Lord,” they answered Him.

29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith!” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out!” ^{▼▼Lit no one knows
,} ^at 31 But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that whole area.

Driving Out a Demon

32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to Him. ^au 33 When the demon had been driven out, the man ^{▼▼Lit the man who was unable to speak} spoke. And the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!” ^aw

The Lord of the Harvest

35 Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their ^{▼▼synagogue(s): A place where the Jewish people met for prayer, worship and teaching of the Scriptures}synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, ^ay and healing every ^{▼▼Or every kind of} disease and every sickness. ^{▼▼Other mss add among the people} 36 When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, ^bb like sheep without a shepherd. ^bc 37 Then He said to His disciples, ^bd “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”