תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

5 the couch on which the paralytic lay. Upon seeing their faith, Jesus saith to the paralytic, Son, thy sins are forgiven thee. 6 Now there were some of the Scribes sitting there, and they were reasoning in their minds-"What! Doth this man thus 7 utter blasphemies! Who can forgive sins but God only." 8 Thereupon Jesus, perceiving immediately by his spirit that

they are thus reasoning in themselves, said to them, Why do 9 ye reason thus in your hearts? Which is easier, To say to the

paralytic, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, take up 10 thy couch, and walk? But that you may know that the son of

man hath power on the earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the 11 paralytic) I say to thee, Arise, take up thy couch, and go to 12 thy house. Thereupon he arose immediately; and having taken up the couch, went out in the presence of them all. So that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw any thing like this.

13

And he went out again to the sea side, and all the multi14 tude came to him, and he taught them. Now as he passed on he saw Levi, the son of Alpheus, sitting at the custom house, and saith to him, Follow me. Whereupon he arose and followed him.

15

And it came to pass that when Jesus was at table, in this man's house, many publicans and sinners were at table, with 16 Jesus and his disciples; for many of them followed him. When the Scribes and the Pharisees saw him eating with these publicans and sinners, they said to his disciples, What! Doth he 17 eat and drink with these publicans and sinners! This being in

18

the hearing of Jesus, he saith to them, They who are in health have no need of a physician; but they who are sick. I did not come to call righteous men, but sinners, to a reformation.

Now it was customary for the disciples of John, and those of the Pharisees, to fast. Therefore they come and say to him, Why do the disciples of John, and those of the Pharisees, fast; 19 but thy disciples do not fast? Thereupon Jesus said to them, Can the bridemen fast, while the bridegroom is with them? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot 20 fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom will be 21 taken from them, and then they will fast in those days. No one

seweth a patch of undressed cloth on an old garment, else the

new patch teareth the old cloth, and the rent is made worse. 22 And no one putteth new wine into old leathern bottles; else the new wine bursteth the bottles. Thus the wine is spilled and the bottles are rendered useless. But new wine is to be put into new bottles. 23 At another time, as he was passing through corn fields, on the sabbath days, it happened that his disciples, as they pass24 ed along, began to pluck the ears. Whereupon the Pharisees

said to him, See! Why are they doing what is not lawful, on 25 the sabbath days? And he said to them, Did you never read what David did when he was in a strait; and he and his com26 pany were hungry? How he went to the house of God in the days of Abiathar, the high priest, and ate the presence loaves, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave 27 thereof to his attendants? Moreover he said to them, The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. So that the son of man is lord even of the sabbath.

III.

And when he again went to the synagogue, there was a 2 man there who had a withered hand; and they watched him to see whether he would heal on the sabbath, that they might ac3 cuse him. Thereupon he saith to the man who had the wither4 ed hand. Stand up in the midst. Then he saith to them. Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? To save 5 life, or to kill? But they were silent. Then looking round on them with indignation, being grieved for the blindness of their mind, he saith to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. According. ly he stretched it out, and his hand was restored whole as the 6 other. Upon this the Pharisees went out, and immediately held a consultation with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

7

Again 'Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, and from Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from the banks of the Jordan. They also around Tyre and Sidon, having heard 9 what he did, flocked to him in crowds. Then he gave orders to his disciples that a boat should attend him, because of the 10 multitude, that they might not throng him. For he healed ma

ny; so that they who had maladies, pressed in upon him to 11 touch him. And the unclean spirits; when they saw him, pros

12 'trated themselves before him, and cried out, saying, Thou art the Son of God; though he strictly charged them not to make him known.

13 Then he goeth up to the mountain, and calleth to him 14 whom he would, and they went up to him. And he appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send 15 them to make proclamation; and to have power to cure diseas16 es, and expel demons; namely, Simon, whom he surnamed Pe17 ter, and James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of

James, (these he surnamed Boanerges, that is, sons of thun18 der) and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, 19 and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Chananite, and Judas Iscariot, who delivered him up.

20

Upon their going into a house, a crowd again assembled, so 21 that they could not so much as eat bread. And when they who 22 were just from it,* heard, and were going out to restrain it, (for some said, He is distracted, and the Scribes who had come down from Jerusalem, said, He is possessed by Beelzebub, and by the prince of the demons he expelleth the demons;) Jesus 23 having called them to him, said to them in parables, How can 24 Satan expel Satan? If indeed a kingdom be divided against it25 self, that kingdom cannot stand; and if a family be divided 26 against itself, that family cannot subsist; and if Satan is risen

up against himself, and divided, he cannot subsist; but hath 27 an end. No one can enter the house of the strong, and plun28 der his goods, unless he first bind the strong one. Then indeed he may rifle his house. Verily I say to you, All transgressions may be forgiven the sons of men, and what slanderous speeches soever they may utter, but whoever shall utter slanders against the Holy Spirit, hath not forgiveness in this 29 age, but is liable to everlasting punishment.

30 Because it was said he hath an unclean spirit, therefore his 31 brethren, and his mother come, and having stood without, 32 sent for him, as the multitude sat around him. And when they said to him, Behold thy mother and thy brethren are

* Who had just come in from the crowd at the gate.

[merged small][ocr errors]

33 without, inquiring for thee, he answered them, saying, Who 34 is my mother? And who are my brethren? Then looking round

on them who sat about him, he saith, Behold my mother and 35 my brethren! For whosoever will do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

IV.

And when he began to teach again by the sea side, so great a multitude gathered about him, that he went on board the small vessel, and sat at sea, and all the multitude were on 2 the sea shore. And he taught them many things in parables, 3 and in his manner of teaching, said to them, Hearken! Be4 hold the sower went out to sow! And it happened that as he was sowing, some fell on the highway, and the birds of the 5 air came and devoured it. And some fell on rocky ground, where it had not much depth of soil; and it sprang up imme6 diately, because it had not depth of soil, but when the sun was up, it was scorched, and, for want of root, withered away: 7 and some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and 8 choked it, so that it yielded no fruit: and some fell on good ground, which sprang up and yielded fruit, growing and thriving and bringing forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some 9 an hundred fold. Then he said to them, Whoever hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10

And when he was in private they who were about him, with the twelve, asked him the meaning of this parable. 11 Whereupon he said to them, To you it is granted to know

the secrets of the reign of God; but to those without, all 12 these things are delivered in parables, so that seeing they see, though they may not perceive; and hearing they hear, though they may not understand. Perhaps they may turn, that their 13 sins may be forgiven them. Then he saith to them, Do ye not comprehend this parable? How then will you understand 14 all the parables? The sower soweth the word. Now these are 15 they by the way side, where the word is sown, who have no

sooner heard, than Satan cometh, and taketh away the word 16 which was sown in their hearts. And in like manner the rocky

ground denoteth those, who, when they hear the word, re17 ceive it immediately with joy; but not having it rooted in them, they are but temporary; so that when tribulation, or persecution cometh because of the word, they are instantly

18 stumbled. And these are they sown among thorns, who hear 19 the word, but the cares of this world, and the delusion of rich

[ocr errors]

es, and inordinate desires of other things, crowd in and choke 20 the word, so that it becometh unfruitful. And these are they sown on good ground, who hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some, thirty; and some, sixty; and some, an hundred fold.

21

Then he said to them, Is a lamp brought to be put under the corn measure, or under the bed? Is it not that it may be 22 set on a stand? For there is nothing hidden which shall not be discovered, nor any thing laid up in secret, but that it may 23 be brought to light. If any one hath ears to hear, let him hear. 24 Moreover he said to them, Consider what you hear. With

whatever measure you deal out, you shall receive; and to 25 you who are attentive more shall be given. For to him who improveth, more shall be given; but from him who improveth not, even what he hath shall be taken away.

26 Again he said, The reign of God is as when a man sow27 eth seed on the ground. Whether he sleepeth or waketh, night and day, the seed groweth and increaseth, he knoweth not 28 how. For the earth of itself produceth first a blade, then an 29 ear, then full grains in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he forthwith applieth the sickle, because the harvest is come. 30 Again he said, To what may we compare the reign of 31 God? Or by what similitude may we represent it? It is like

a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the ground, 32 is one of the very smallest seeds there: but, being sown, it springeth up and becometh larger than all plants of the pulse kind, and shooteth out large branches, so that under its shade the birds of the air can find shelter.

33 And with many such parables he spake the word to them 34 as they were able to hear it: but without a parable he did not speak to them. And in private he explained all to his disciples.

35 And the same day, in the evening, he saith to them, Let 36 us cross over to the other side. So, leaving the multitude, they take him along with them as he was on board. And 37 there were some other small vessels with him. And there arose a violent storm of wind, and the waves beat into the

« הקודםהמשך »