October 17

Matthew 8:1 — 10:42

8 After he had come down from the mountain great crowds followed him. 2 And, look! a leprous man came up and began doing obeisance to him, saying: “Lord, if you just want to, you can make me clean.” 3 And so, stretching out [his] hand, he touched him, saying: “I want to. Be made clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed away. 4 Then Jesus said to him: “See that you tell no one, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses appointed, for the purpose of a witness to them.”

5 When he entered into Capernaum, an army officer came to him, entreating him 6 and saying: “Sir, my manservant is laid up in the house with paralysis, being terribly tormented.” 7 He said to him: “When I get there I will cure him.” 8 In reply the army officer said: “Sir, I am not a fit man for you to enter under my roof, but just say the word and my manservant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Be on your way!’ and he is on his way, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10 Hearing that, Jesus became amazed and said to those following him: “I tell YOU the truth, With no one in Israel have I found so great a faith. 11 But I tell YOU that many from eastern parts and western parts will come and recline at the table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens; 12 whereas the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the darkness outside. There is where [their] weeping and the gnashing of [their] teeth will be.” 13 Then Jesus said to the army officer: “Go. Just as it has been your faith, so let it come to pass for you.” And the manservant was healed in that hour.

14 And Jesus, on coming into Peter’s house, saw his mother-in-law lying down and sick with fever. 15 So he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began ministering to him. 16 But after it became evening, people brought him many demon-possessed persons; and he expelled the spirits with a word, and he cured all who were faring badly; 17 that there might be fulfilled what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He himself took our sicknesses and carried our diseases.”

18 When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave the command to shove off for the other side. 19 And a certain scribe came up and said to him: “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you are about to go.” 20 But Jesus said to him: “Foxes have dens and birds of heaven have roosts, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay down his head.” 21 Then another of the disciples said to him: “Lord, permit me first to leave and bury my father.” 22 Jesus said to him: “Keep following me, and let the dead bury their dead.”

23 And when he got aboard a boat, his disciples followed him. 24 Now, look! a great agitation arose in the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; he, however, was sleeping. 25 And they came and woke him up, saying: “Lord, save us, we are about to perish!” 26 But he said to them: “Why are YOU fainthearted, YOU with little faith?” Then, getting up, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and a great calm set in. 27 So the men became amazed and said: “What sort of person is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

28 When he got to the other side, into the country of the Gadarenes, there met him two demon-possessed men coming out from among the memorial tombs, unusually fierce, so that nobody had the courage to pass by on that road. 29 And, look! they screamed, saying: “What have we to do with you, Son of God? Did you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” 30 But a long way off from them a herd of many swine was at pasture. 31 So the demons began to entreat him, saying: “If you expel us, send us forth into the herd of swine.” 32 Accordingly he said to them: “Go!” They came out and went off into the swine; and, look! the entire herd rushed over the precipice into the sea and died in the waters. 33 But the herders fled and, going into the city, they reported everything, including the affair of the demon-possessed men. 34 And, look! all the city turned out to meet Jesus; and after having seen him, they earnestly urged him to move out from their districts.

9 So, boarding the boat, he proceeded across and went into his own city. 2 And, look! they were bringing him a paralyzed man lying on a bed. On seeing their faith Jesus said to the paralytic: “Take courage, child; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And, look! certain of the scribes said to themselves: “This fellow is blaspheming.” 4 And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said: “Why are YOU thinking wicked things in YOUR hearts? 5 For instance, which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Get up and walk? 6 However, in order for YOU to know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins—” then he said to the paralytic: “Get up, pick up your bed, and go to your home.” 7 And he got up and went off to his home. 8 At the sight of this the crowds were struck with fear, and they glorified God, who gave such authority to men.

9 Next, while passing along from there, Jesus caught sight of a man named Matthew seated at the tax office, and he said to him: “Be my follower.” Thereupon he did rise up and follow him. 10 Later, while he was reclining at the table in the house, look! many tax collectors and sinners came and began reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 But on seeing this the Pharisees began to say to his disciples: “Why is it that YOUR teacher eats with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 Hearing [them], he said: “Persons in health do not need a physician, but the ailing do. 13 Go, then, and learn what this means, ‘I want mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came to call, not righteous people, but sinners.”

14 Then John’s disciples came to him and asked: “Why is it that we and the Pharisees practice fasting but your disciples do not fast?” 15 At this Jesus said to them: “The friends of the bridegroom have no reason to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, do they? But days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 Nobody sews a patch of unshrunk cloth upon an old outer garment; for its full strength would pull from the outer garment and the tear would become worse. 17 Neither do people put new wine into old wineskins; but if they do, then the wineskins burst and the wine spills out and the wineskins are ruined. But people put new wine into new wineskins, and both things are preserved.”

18 While he was telling them these things, look! a certain ruler who had approached began to do obeisance to him, saying: “By now my daughter must be dead; but come and lay your hand upon her and she will come to life.”

19 Then Jesus, getting up, began to follow him; also his disciples did. 20 And, look! a woman suffering twelve years from a flow of blood came up behind and touched the fringe of his outer garment; 21 for she kept saying to herself: “If I only touch his outer garment I shall get well.” 22 Jesus turned around and, noticing her, said: “Take courage, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And from that hour the woman became well.

23 When, now, he came into the ruler’s house and caught sight of the flute players and the crowd in noisy confusion, 24 Jesus began to say: “Leave the place, for the little girl did not die, but she is sleeping.” At this they began to laugh at him scornfully. 25 As soon as the crowd had been sent outside, he went in and took hold of her hand, and the little girl got up. 26 Of course, the talk about this spread out into all that region.

27 As Jesus was passing along from there, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying: “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 After he had gone into the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus asked them: “Do YOU have faith that I can do this?” They answered him: “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying: “According to YOUR faith let it happen to YOU.” 30 And their eyes received sight. Moreover, Jesus sternly charged them, saying: “See that nobody gets to know it.” 31 But they, after getting outside, made it public about him in all that region.

32 Now when they were leaving, look! people brought him a dumb man possessed of a demon; 33 and after the demon had been expelled the dumb man spoke. Well, the crowds felt amazement and said: “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees began to say: “It is by the ruler of the demons that he expels the demons.”

35 And Jesus set out on a tour of all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the kingdom and curing every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity. 36 On seeing the crowds he felt pity for them, because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples: “Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

10 So he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, in order to expel these and to cure every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity.

2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: First, Simon, the one called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the [son] of Zebedee and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, giving them these orders: “Do not go off into the road of the nations, and do not enter into a Samaritan city; 6 but, instead, go continually to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As YOU go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.’ 8 Cure sick people, raise up dead persons, make lepers clean, expel demons. YOU received free, give free. 9 Do not procure gold or silver or copper for YOUR girdle purses, 10 or a food pouch for the trip, or two undergarments, or sandals or a staff; for the worker deserves his food.

11 “Into whatever city or village YOU enter, search out who in it is deserving, and stay there until YOU leave. 12 When YOU are entering into the house, greet the household; 13 and if the house is deserving, let the peace YOU wish it come upon it; but if it is not deserving, let the peace from YOU return upon YOU. 14 Wherever anyone does not take YOU in or listen to YOUR words, on going out of that house or that city shake the dust off YOUR feet. 15 Truly I say to YOU, It will be more endurable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on Judgment Day than for that city.

16 “Look! I am sending YOU forth as sheep amidst wolves; therefore prove yourselves cautious as serpents and yet innocent as doves. 17 Be on YOUR guard against men; for they will deliver YOU up to local courts, and they will scourge YOU in their synagogues. 18 Why, YOU will be haled before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations. 19 However, when they deliver YOU up, do not become anxious about how or what YOU are to speak; for what YOU are to speak will be given YOU in that hour; 20 for the ones speaking are not just YOU, but it is the spirit of YOUR Father that speaks by YOU. 21 Further, brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and will have them put to death. 22 And YOU will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my name; but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved. 23 When they persecute YOU in one city, flee to another; for truly I say to YOU, YOU will by no means complete the circuit of the cities of Israel until the Son of man arrives.

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple to become as his teacher, and the slave as his lord. If people have called the householder Beelzebub, how much more [will they call] those of his household so? 26 Therefore do not fear them; for there is nothing covered over that will not become uncovered, and secret that will not become known. 27 What I tell YOU in the darkness, say in the light; and what YOU hear whispered, preach from the housetops. 28 And do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. 29 Do not two sparrows sell for a coin of small value? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without YOUR Father’s [knowledge]. 30 But the very hairs of YOUR head are all numbered. 31 Therefore have no fear: YOU are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Everyone, then, that confesses union with me before men, I will also confess union with him before my Father who is in the heavens; 33 but whoever disowns me before men, I will also disown him before my Father who is in the heavens. 34 Do not think I came to put peace upon the earth; I came to put, not peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to cause division, with a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a young wife against her mother-in-law. 36 Indeed, a man’s enemies will be persons of his own household. 37 He that has greater affection for father or mother than for me is not worthy of me; and he that has greater affection for son or daughter than for me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not accept his torture stake and follow after me is not worthy of me. 39 He that finds his soul will lose it, and he that loses his soul for my sake will find it.

40 “He that receives YOU receives me also, and he that receives me receives him also that sent me forth. 41 He that receives a prophet because he is a prophet will get a prophet’s reward, and he that receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will get a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, I tell YOU truly, he will by no means lose his reward.”