Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 One day Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret while the people pushed their way up to him to listen to the word of God.
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Now it happened, while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.
2 He saw two boats pulled up on the beach; the fishermen had left them and were washing the nets.
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He saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 Jesus got into one of the boats - it belonged to Simon - and asked him to push off a little from the shore. Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowd.
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He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes out of the boat.
4 When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Push the boat out further to the deep water, and you and your partners let down your nets for a catch."
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When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch."
5 "Master," Simon answered, "we worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will let down the nets."
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Simon answered him, "Master, we worked all night, and took nothing; but at your word I will let down the net."
6 They let them down and caught such a large number of fish that the nets were about to break.
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When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking.
7 So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full of fish that the boats were about to sink.
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They beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. They came, and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he fell on his knees before Jesus and said, "Go away from me, Lord! I am a sinful man!"
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But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord."
9 He and the others with him were all amazed at the large number of fish they had caught.
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For he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had caught;
10 The same was true of Simon's partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."
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and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid. From now on you will catch men alive."
11 They pulled the boats up on the beach, left everything, and followed Jesus.
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When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, and followed him.
12 Once Jesus was in a town where there was a man who was suffering from a dreaded skin disease. When he saw Jesus, he threw himself down and begged him, "Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean!"
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It happened, while he was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and begged him, saying, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean."
13 Jesus reached out and touched him. "I do want to," he answered. "Be clean!" At once the disease left the man.
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He stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, "I want to. Be made clean." Immediately the leprosy departed from him.
14 Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go straight to the priest and let him examine you; then to prove to everyone that you are cured, offer the sacrifice as Moses ordered."
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He charged him to "Tell no one, But go your way, and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."
15 But the news about Jesus spread all the more widely, and crowds of people came to hear him and be healed from their diseases.
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But the report concerning him spread much more, and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
16 But he would go away to lonely places, where he prayed.
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But he withdrew himself into the desert, and prayed.
17 One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the Law were sitting there who had come from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was present for Jesus to heal the sick.
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It happened on one of those days, that he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal them.
18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a bed, and they tried to carry him into the house and put him in front of Jesus.
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Behold, men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him in to lay before him.
19 Because of the crowd, however, they could find no way to take him in. So they carried him up on the roof, made an opening in the tiles, and let him down on his bed into the middle of the group in front of Jesus.
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Not finding a way to bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop, and let him down through the tiles with his cot into the midst before Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the man, "Your sins are forgiven, my friend."
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Seeing their faith, he said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."
21 The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who speaks such blasphemy! God is the only one who can forgive sins!"
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The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"
22 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Why do you think such things?
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But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, "Why are you reasoning so in your hearts?
23 Is it easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, "Get up and walk'?
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Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you;' or to say, 'Arise and walk?'
24 I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, pick up your bed, and go home!"
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But 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, arise, and take up your cot, and go to your house."
25 At once the man got up in front of them all, took the bed he had been lying on, and went home, praising God.
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Immediately he rose up before them, and took up that which he was laying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God.
26 They were all completely amazed! Full of fear, they praised God, saying, "What marvelous things we have seen today!"
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Amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today."
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting in his office. Jesus said to him, "Follow me."
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After these things he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office, and said to him, "Follow me."
28 Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
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He left everything, and rose up and followed him.
29 Then Levi had a big feast in his house for Jesus, and among the guests was a large number of tax collectors and other people.
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Levi made him a great feast for him in his house. There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them.
30 Some Pharisees and some teachers of the Law who belonged to their group complained to Jesus' disciples. "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and other outcasts?" they asked.
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Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?"
31 Jesus answered them, "People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick.
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Jesus answered them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.
32 I have not come to call respectable people to repent, but outcasts."
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I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
33 Some people said to Jesus, "The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but your disciples eat and drink."
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They said to him, "Why do John's disciples often fast and pray, likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?"
34 Jesus answered, "Do you think you can make the guests at a wedding party go without food as long as the bridegroom is with them? Of course not!
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He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
35 But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."
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But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days."
36 Jesus also told them this parable: "You don't tear a piece off a new coat to patch up an old coat. If you do, you will have torn the new coat, and the piece of new cloth will not match the old.
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He also told a parable to them. "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old.
37 Nor do you pour new wine into used wineskins, because the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will pour out, and the skins will be ruined.
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No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.
38 Instead, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins!
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But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.
39 And you don't want new wine after drinking old wine. "The old is better,' you say."
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No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.