Jesus calls Simon Peter
- Now, it happened during the crowd’s pressing on Him to also hear the word of God, that He was *standing beside the lake of Gennesaret.
- And He saw two boats *standing beside the lake. And having disembarked from them, the fishermen were washing the nets.
- And having embarked into one of the boats – which was Simon’s – He asked him to put out to sea a short distance from the land. And having sat down, He was teaching the crowds from the boat.
- And when He ceased speaking, He said to Simon: “Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
- And answering, Simon said: “Master, we caught nothing despite having exhausted ourselves working through the whole night. But on account of your word, I will lower the nets.”
- And having done this, they enclosed an enormous multitude of fishes, and their nets were tearing.
- And they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come assist them. And they came and filled both boats so they both almost began to sink.
- And having seen this, Simon Peter fell down before Jesus’s knees, saying: “Go away from me Lord, because I’m a sinful man.”
- For astonishment had gripped him and all the men with him on account of the catch of fish which they took,
- and James and John – the sons of Zebedee who were partners with Simon – were also likewise astonished. And Jesus said to Simon: “Don’t be frightened; from now on you will be catching men.”
- And having beached the boats on the land and left all of it behind, they followed Him.
Jesus heals a leper
- And it happened during His being in one of the cities that behold: there was a man full of leprosy. And having seen Jesus and fallen on his face, he begged Him saying: “Lord you are able to cleanse me if you want to.”
- And having extended His hand, He touched him, saying: “I want to; be cleansed.” And the leprosy immediately departed from him.
- And He instructed him to tell no one, but said: “Having departed, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifice concerning your cleansing, just as Moses commanded for a testimony to them.
- But the report about Him was spreading more, and many crowds were coming together to hear Him and to be healed from their sicknesses.
- Yet He was withdrawing into the wilderness places and praying.
Jesus forgives sins and heals a paralyzed man
- And it happened during one of the days that He was teaching, that sitting nearby were some Pharisees and teachers of the law who were *coming from every village of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem. And the Lord’s power was there for Him to heal.
- And behold: there are men carrying a man on a bed-mat who was *paralyzed, and they were seeking to carry him in and to put him before Him.
- And not having found a way they might carry him in because of the crowd, having gone up onto the roof, they lowered him with the bed-mat through the roofing tiles into the crowd’s midst before Jesus.
- And having seen their faith, He said: “Man, your sins have been forgiven you.”
- And the scribes and Pharisees began to reason, saying: “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?”
- And having known their reasonings, answering Jesus said to them: “Why do you reason in your hearts?
- “Which is easier to say: ‘Your sins have been forgiven you’, or to say: ‘Rise and walk’?
- “But so you might *know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins–” He said to the *paralyzed man: “–I tell you: rise; and having picked up your bed-mat, go to your house.”
- And having instantly risen before them and having picked up the bed-mat on which he was lying, he departed to his house, glorifying God.
- And astonishment seized all, and they were glorifying God and were filled with reverent fear, saying: “We saw wonderfully strange things today.”
Jesus calls Levi (Matthew)
- 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 having abandoned everything and risen, he was following Him.
- And Levi made a great feast for Him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them at the table.
- And the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling at His disciples, saying: “Why are you eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”
- And answering, Jesus said to them: “The healthy men have no need of a physician, but the sick men do.
- “I haven’t come to call righteous men, but sinful men to repentance.”
- And they said to Him: “John’s disciples are frequently fasting and doing prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do likewise. But your disciples are eating and drinking.”
- And Jesus said to them: “You aren’t able to make the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them, are you?
- “But the days will also come when the bridegroom was taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”
- And He was also telling a parable to them: “Having torn a patch from a new garment, no one puts it on an old garment. And if he does otherwise, the new will also tear and the old garment won’t match the patch from the new.
- “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. And if he does otherwise, the new wine will tear the wineskins and it will be spilled out, and the wineskins will be ruined.
- “But new wine must be put into new wineskins.
- “And having drunk the old wine, no one wants the new; for he says ‘The old is better’.”