New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
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And when he came into Capernaum again after some days, the news went about that he was in the house.
2 So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them.
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And a great number had come together, so that there was no longer room for them, no, not even about the door: and he gave them teaching.
3 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.
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And four men came to him with one on a bed who had no power of moving.
4 And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.
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And when they were unable to get near him because of all the people, they got the roof uncovered where he was: and when it was broken up, they let down the bed on which the man was.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
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And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to him, Son, you have forgiveness for your sins.
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
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But there were certain of the scribes seated there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 "Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
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Why does this man say such things? he has no respect for God: from whom does forgiveness come but from God only?
8 At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, "Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?
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And Jesus, having knowledge in his spirit of their thoughts, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, "Stand up and take your mat and walk'?
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Which is the simpler, to say to a man who is ill, You have forgiveness for your sins, or, Get up, take up your bed, and go?
10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the paralytic—
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But so that you may see that the Son of man has authority for the forgiveness of sins on earth, (he said to the man,)
11 "I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home."
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I say to you, Get up, take up your bed, and go to your house.
12 And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
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And he got up, and straight away took up the bed and went out before them all, so that they were all full of wonder, and gave glory to God, saying, We have never seen anything like this.
13 Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them.
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And he went out again by the seaside; and all the people came to him, and he gave them teaching.
14 As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.
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And when he went by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, seated at the place where taxes were taken, and he said to him, Come with me. And he got up, and went with him.
15 And as he sat at dinner in Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples—for there were many who followed him.
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And it came about that he was seated at meat in his house, and a number of tax-farmers and sinners were at table with Jesus and his disciples: for there were a great number of them, and they came after him.
16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
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And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was taking food with the tax-farmers and sinners, said to his disciples, Why does he take food and drink with such men?
17 When Jesus heard this, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."
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And Jesus, hearing it, said to them, Those who are well have no need of a medical man, but those who are ill: I have come not to get the upright 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?"
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And John's disciples and the Pharisees were taking no food: and they came and said to him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees go without food, but your disciples do not?
19 Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
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And Jesus said to them, Will the friends of a newly-married man go without food while he is with them? as long as they have him with them they will not go without food.
20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.
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But the days will come when the husband will be taken away from them, and then they will go without food.
21 "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.
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No man puts a bit of new cloth on an old coat: or the new, by pulling away from the old, makes a worse hole.
22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."
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And no man puts new wine into old wine-skins: or the skins will be burst by the wine, and the wine and the skins will be wasted: but new wine has to be put into new wine-skins.
23 One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.
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And it came about that on the Sabbath day he was going through the grain-fields; and while they were walking, his disciples took the heads of grain.
24 The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?"
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And the Pharisees said to him, Why are they doing what it is not right to do on the Sabbath?
25 And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?
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And he said to them, Have you no knowledge of what David did, when he had need and was without food, he, and those who were with him?
26 He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions."
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How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and took for food the holy bread, which only the priests may take, and gave it to those who were with him?
27 Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath;
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And he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath;
28 so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."
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So that the Son of man is lord even of the Sabbath.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.