5:1 Now 1 Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and the crowd was pressing around him 3 to hear the word of God. 5:2 He 4 saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 5:3 He got into 5 one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then 6 Jesus 7 sat down 8 and taught the crowds from the boat. 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and lower 9 your nets for a catch.” 5:5 Simon 10 answered, 11 “Master, 12 we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at your word 13 I will lower 14 the nets.” 5:6 When 15 they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear. 16 5:7 So 17 they motioned 18 to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were about to sink. 19 5:8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, 20 for I am a sinful man!” 21 5:9 For 22 Peter 23 and all who were with him were astonished 24 at the catch of fish that they had taken, 5:10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s business partners. 25 Then 26 Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on 27 you will be catching people.” 28 5:11 So 29 when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed 30 him.
5:12 While 31 Jesus 32 was in one of the towns, 33 a man came 34 to him who was covered with 35 leprosy. 36 When 37 he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the ground 38 and begged him, 39 “Lord, if 40 you are willing, you can make me clean.” 5:13 So 41 he stretched out his hand and touched 42 him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 5:14 Then 43 he ordered the man 44 to tell no one, 45 but commanded him, 46 “Go 47 and show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering 48 for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, 49 as a testimony to them.” 50 5:15 But the news about him spread even more, 51 and large crowds were gathering together to hear him 52 and to be healed of their illnesses. 5:16 Yet Jesus himself 53 frequently withdrew 54 to the wilderness 55 and prayed.
5:17 Now on 56 one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees 57 and teachers of the law 58 sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem), 59 and the power of the Lord was with him 60 to heal. 5:18 Just then 61 some men showed up, carrying a paralyzed man 62 on a stretcher. 63 They 64 were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus. 65 5:19 But 66 since they found 67 no way to carry him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof 68 and let him down on the stretcher 69 through the roof tiles 70 right 71 in front of Jesus. 72 5:20 When 73 Jesus 74 saw their 75 faith he said, “Friend, 76 your sins are forgiven.” 77 5:21 Then 78 the experts in the law 79 and the Pharisees began to think 80 to themselves, 81 “Who is this man 82 who is uttering blasphemies? 83 Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 5:22 When Jesus perceived 84 their hostile thoughts, 85 he said to them, 86 “Why are you raising objections 87 within yourselves? 5:23 Which is easier, 88 to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 5:24 But so that you may know 89 that the Son of Man 90 has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the paralyzed man 91 – “I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher 92 and go home.” 93