1 And when he entered Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was home.

2 And many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And he preached the word to them.

3 Then they came to him, bringing a paralytic carried by four men.

4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above him; and when they had broken through, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, »Son, your sins are forgiven.«

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

7 »Why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?«

8 And immediately, when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, he said to them, »Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?

9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk’?

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

11 »I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.«

12 And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out in the sight of them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, »We never saw anything like this!«

13 Then he went out again beside the sea; and all the crowd came to him, and he taught them.

14 As he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, »Follow me.« So he rose and followed him.

15 And as he sat at table in Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him.

16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, »Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?«

17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, »Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.«

18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, »Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?«

19 And Jesus said to them, »Can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

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

21 »No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; if he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, and the tear is made worse.

22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.«

23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.

24 And the Pharisees said to him, »Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?«

25 But he said to them, »Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those who were with him:

26 how he entered the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful to eat, except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?«

27 And he said to them, »The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.«