Luke 5

1One day Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on Him to hear the word of God.

2Jesus saw two boats at the edge of the lake, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.

3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to push out a little from the shore. Then He sat down and taught the crowd from the boat.

4When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon: Push out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.

5Simon answered: Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.

6When they had done this, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear.

7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The partners came, and together they filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said: Go away from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man.

9He and everyone with Him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught,

10And so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon: Do not be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.

11So they brought their boats to shore, left everything, and followed Him.

12While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with a serious skin disease. When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him: Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.

13Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. I am willing, He said. Be clean! And immediately the disease left him.

14Then Jesus ordered him: Do not tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.

15Yet the news about Jesus spread all the more, and large crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

16But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

17One day, as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.

18Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat, and they tried to bring him in and lay him before Jesus.

19When they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles, right in the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.

20When Jesus saw their faith, He said: Friend, your sins are forgiven.

21The teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to think to themselves: Who is this who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?

22But Jesus knew what they were thinking, and He asked them: Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

23Which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Get up and walk?

24But so 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, get up, take your mat, and go home.

25Immediately the man stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on, and went home, praising God.

26Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said: We have seen remarkable things today.

27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax booth. Follow me, Jesus said to him,

28And Levi got up, left everything, and followed Him.

29Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.

30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to Jesus' disciples: Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?

31Jesus answered them: It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

33They said to Him: John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.

34Jesus answered: Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is still with them?

35But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them. In those days they will fast.

36Jesus told them a teaching story: No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If they do, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.

37And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will spill, and the skins will be ruined.

38New wine must be poured into new wineskins.

39And no one who drinks old wine wants new wine, because they say: The old wine is better.