Luke 5

Now it came to pass, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.

And he saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

And he got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the crowd out of the boat.

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.”

And Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and took nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.”

And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish, indeed, their nets were being torn.

And they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink.

But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

For he and all those who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken,

and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching people.”

And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

And it came to pass while he was in one of the cities, look, a man covered with a skin disease was there. And when he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you are able to make me clean”

And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” And immediately the skin disease left him.

And he instructed him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

But the word about him was spreading even more, and great multitudes came together to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.

But he withdrew himself into the solitary places and prayed.

And it came to pass on one of those days that he was teaching, and there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by who had come out of every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.

And Look! Men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and to lay him before him.

And finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down on a small bed through the roof tiles into the midst of the crowd before Jesus.

And when he saw their trust, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”

And the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who is speaking these defaming words? Who can forgive sins except God alone?”

But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning these things in your hearts?

Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

But so that you know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralyzed man—“I say to you, get up and pick up your small bed and go home.’”

And immediately he got up in front of them, and picked up the pallet that he had been lying on, and went to his house, glorifying God.

And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God, and they were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”

And after these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax collector’s booth, and said to him, “Follow me.”

And he left everything, and got up and followed him.

And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and of others who were reclining and eating with them.

And the Pharisees and their experts in the law grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”

And Jesus answering said to them, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but those who are sick do.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often, and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.”

And Jesus said to them, “Are you able to make the wedding guests fast while the groom is with them?

But the days will come; and when the groom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”

And he also spoke a parable to them: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment, otherwise he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match with the old.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the new wine will burst the wineskins and it will be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.

But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”