Jesus of Nazareth | Page 3

themselves, he said unto them:
"Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee;' or to say, 'Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?' But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, 'Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.'"
And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying:
"We never saw it on this fashion."
And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.
And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him:
"Follow me."
And he arose and followed him.
And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples:
"How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?"
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them;
"They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him:
"Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?"
And Jesus said unto them:
"Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."
And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him:
"Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?"
And he said unto them:
"Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungered, he, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?"
And he said unto them:
"The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."
CHAPTER III
A BROTHER TO ALL WHO DO THE WILL OF GOD
And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand:
"Stand forth."
And he saith unto them:
"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?"
But they held their peace.
And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man:
"Stretch forth thine hand."
And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying:
"Thou art the Son of God."
And he straitly charged them that they