Luke 5

1Now it happened that while the crowd pressed close to him and listened to God's word, he stood beside the lake of Gennesaret.

2He saw two boats standing beside the lake, but the fishermen, having disembarked from them, were washing the nets.

3He got into one of Simon's boats and asked him to launch out a little from the land. Sitting down in the boat, he taught the crowds.

4When he stopped speaking, he said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.”

5And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and caught nothing, but at your word I will let down the nets."

6And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish, but their nets were breaking.

7They beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so that they began to sink.

8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord."

9For astonishment seized him and all who were with him at the catch of fish they had taken.

10Likewise, James and John, sons of Zebedee, were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."

11And they brought their boats ashore, abandoned everything, and followed him.

12It happened, while he was in one of the cities, that a man full of leprosy appeared; seeing Jesus, he fell on his face, begged him, and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can cleanse me."

13He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I am willing. Be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

14And he commanded him to tell no one, but to go, show yourself to the priest, and bring for your cleansing as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.

15But the word about him spread even more, and great crowds came together to hear and to be healed of their sicknesses.

16But he would withdraw into desolate places and pray.

17On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem, and the Lord's power was with him to heal.

18And look, men carrying a paralyzed man on a bed sought to bring him in and lay him before him.

19And unable to find by what way they might bring him in because of the crowd, they climbed up on the roof and lowered him through the tiles with his stretcher into the middle before Jesus.

20And seeing their faith, he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to debate, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, if not God alone?"

22But Jesus, perceiving their reasonings, answered them, "Why do you reason in your hearts?"

23Which is easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Arise and walk"?

24But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralyzed man, I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go to your house.

25Immediately he arose in their presence, took up what he had been lying on, and went to his house, glorifying God.

26Amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today."

27After these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, "Follow me."

28And forsaking everything, he arose and followed him.

29And Levi held a grand banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others was reclining with them.

30The Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

31Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do."

32I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

33They said to him, "John's disciples fast often and offer prayers, and likewise do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink."

34He said to them, "Can you make the sons of the bridal chamber fast while the bridegroom is among them?"

35But days will come when the bridegroom is taken from them; then they will fast in those days.

36He also told them a parable: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise the new tears, and the piece from the new does not match the old."

37And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will rupture the wineskins, it will gush out, and the wineskins will perish.

38But new wine must be put into new wineskins.

39And no one who has drunk old wine wants new, for he says, "The old is good."