And Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee; and rumor about him went through the entire region; and he himself taught in their synagogues, honored by all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been raised, and entered the synagogue as was his custom on the day of the sabbath, and stood up to read. And he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah, and opening the book he found the place where it was written: The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because of which he has anointed me, to bring good news to the poor; he sent me forth to announce release to captives, and eyesight to the blind; to set those who are broken at liberty; to proclaim the accepted year of the Lord. And folding the book he gave it back to the servant and sat down; and the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed upon him. And he began to say to them: Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. And all spoke well of him and marveled at the grace in the words that came from his mouth, and said: Is not this the son of Joseph? And he said to them: Surely you will tell me the parable: Physician, cure yourself; do here also in your own country all we have heard of that was done in Capernaum. And he said: Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But this is true that I tell you: There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was closed for three years and six months, so that there was famine in all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent, but only to a widowed woman of Sarepta in Sidon. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, but none of them was made clean except Naaman the Syrian. And all those in the synagogue were filled with anger when they heard this, and they rose up and cast him out of the city, and they took him to the brink of the cliff on which was built their city, to fling him over. But he passed through their midst and went on his way.
And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon and he cried out in a great voice: Ha. What is there between us and you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know you, who you are, God's holy one. Jesus reproved him, saying: Be silent and go out from him. And the demon flung him down in their midst and came out of him, without doing him any harm. And wonder came upon all and they talked among themselves, saying: What is this speech, that in authority and power he gives orders to unclean spirits, and they come out? And the rumor of him went forth to every place in the region.
But he rose up and left the synagogue and went into the house of Simon. The mother-in-law of Simon was suffering from a great fever, and they besought him for her sake. He stood over her and reproved the fever, and it left her; and at once she stood up and served them. And when the sun set, all those who had people sick with various sicknesses brought them to him, and he laid his hands on each one of them, and healed them. And also demons came out of many, crying out and saying: You are the son of God. But he forbade them and told them not to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. When day came he went out to a deserted place, and the multitudes went looking for him, and came up with him, and held him back so that he could not go from them. But he said to them: I must bring the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other cities also, since for this I was sent forth. And he went preaching through the synagogues of Judaea.
(l It happened that, while the crowd was pressing upon him and listening to the word of God, he himself was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats standing beside the lake, but the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. He went aboard one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to take him out a little way from the land, and he sat in the boat and taught the multitudes. And when he was through speaking, he said to Simon: Go on out into the deep water and let down your nets and fish. Simon answered and said: Master, all through the night we wore ourselves out and got nothing; but on your word I will let down our nets. And when they did so, they netted a great haul of fish, and their nets were breaking. And they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came, and both boats were filled so they began to sink. Seeing this, Simon Peter flung himself at the knees of Jesus and said: Go from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord. For amazement had seized him and all who were with him over the haul of fish they had taken, and also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon: Do not be afraid. From now on your catch will be men. And they
beached their boats and left everything and followed him.
It happened that he was in one of the cities, and behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he flung himself down on his face and implored him, saying: Lord, if you wish you can make me clean. And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying: I wish it; be clean. And immediately the leprosy left him. And he told him not to tell anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and bring him the gift for your purification that Moses ordained, in witness to these things. But the word went around all the more about him, and multitudes came together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But he for a while was withdrawn into the desert, praying.
And it happened on one of those days, he himself was teaching, and also there were Pharisees seated there and teachers of the law, who had come out from every village of Galilee and Judaea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him, to heal. And behold, men carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to carry him inside and set him before Jesus. And failing to find any way to get him in through the crowd, they went up on top of the house and let him down, bed and all, between the tiles and into the middle, before Jesus. And he, seeing their faith, said: Fellow, your sins are forgiven you. Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to discuss this, saying: Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, except God alone? Jesus realized what they were saying to each other, and spoke forth and said to them: Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say: Your sins are forgiven you, or to say: Arise and walk about? But so that you may know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins-he said to the paralyzed man: I say to you, rise, take up your bed and go to your house. And at once he stood up before them all, and lifted up what he had been laid on, and went away to his house, glorifying God. And they were all transported, and they glorified God and were filled with fear and said: We have seen incredible things today.
And after that he went forth and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tollhouse, and said to him: Follow me. And he left everything and got up and followed him. And Levi held a great reception for him in his house; and there was a throng of tax collectors and others who dined with them. Then the Pharisees and their scribes muttered to his disciples: Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? Jesus answered and said to them: The healthy do not need a physician but those who are in poor health. I did not come to summon the just to repentance, but the sinners. But they said to him: The disciples of John fast often and say prayers, and so likewise do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink. But Jesus said to them: Surely you cannot make the members of the wedding party fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then in those days they will fast. And he told them a parable: No one tears a piece from a new coat to put on an old coat; if he does, he will be tearing the new one, and the patch from the new will not fit the old. And no one puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will break the skins and the wine will all be spilled and the skins will be destroyed; but new wine is to be put into new skins. And no one drinking old wine wants new; for he says: The old is good.