42 "I will; be thou made clean." And when he had spoken,

immediately the leprosy departed from the man, and he was 43 made clean. And Jesus strictly charged him, and imme44 diately sent him away; and saith unto him, "See thou tell no man any thing: but go, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses command45 ed; for a testimony unto them." But he went forth, and began to publish much, and to spread abroad the matter; so that Jesus could no more openly enter1 into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from all parts.

2

CH. 11. And he entered again into Capernaum, after some 2 days; and it was known that he was in an house. And immediately many were gathered together; so that not even the parts about the door could any longer contain them: and he preached the word3 unto them.

3

And they come to him, bringing one sick of the palsy, 4 who was carried by four. And when they could not come

near him because of the multitude, they uncovered the roof* where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let 5 down the couch on which the sick of the palsy lay. Now

when Jesus saw their faith, he saith to the sick of the palsy, 6" Son, thy sins are forgiven *." Now some of the scribes 7 were sitting there, and reasoning thus in their hearts, "Why

doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins, 8 but one, that is God?" And when Jesus immediately perceived in his spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, he said unto them, "Why reason ye so in your 9 hearts? Which is easier? to say unto the sick of the palsy, 'Or, would not for a time enter openly. See ch. ii. 1. 2 Gr. heard. 3 Gr. spake the word. 4 Or, removed the covering.

* are forgiven thee, R. T. and N. Our Lord alludes to the Jewish notion, that diseases and other calamities were inflicted as the punishments of sin. See John ix. 2. 34; also Luke xiii. 1-5. His language therefore upon this occasion was an indication of his intention to heal the disease. q. d. thy disorder is removed. See Matt. ix. 2.

Thy sins are forgiven?' or to say, 'Arise, take up thy 10 couch, and walk?' But that ye may know that the Son of

man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the 11 sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, take up thy 12 couch, and go to thine house."" And immediately he arose, took up his couch, and went out before them all; so that all were amazed, and glorified God, saying, "We never saw it thus!"

13

14

15

And Jesus went out again by the side of the lake3: and all the multitude came to him, and he taught them.

And as he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alpheus, sitting at the receipt of custom, and saith unto him, "Follow me." And Levi rose up, and followed him.

And it came to pass that, as Jesus was at meat in Levi's house, many publicans and sinners placed themselves at the table with Jesus and his disciples: for there were 16 many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and

the Pharisees saw him eating with the publicans and sinners, they said to his disciples, "How is it that he eateth 17 and drinketh with the publicans and sinners?" But when Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, "Those that are well need not a physician, but those that are sick; I came not to call righteous men, but sinners"."

18

Now the disciples of John and the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples 19 fast not?" And Jesus said unto them, "Can the companions of the bridegroom fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, 20 they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them; and then they will fast in

8

1 are forgiven thee, R. T. and N. 2 Arise and take, R. T. 3 Gr. sea, N. m. Wherever the word lake occurs in the translation the original is sea. - 4 taxgatherers, and gentiles, who were regarded as sinners. 5 placed themselves with Jesus, N. 6 but sinners to repentance, R. T. 7 and of the Pharisees, R. T. and N. 8 Gr. sons of the bride-chamber, N. m.

G

21 that day'. No man seweth a piece of unwrought cloth upon an old garment: otherwise, the new piece which filleth [it] up taketh from the old, and a worse rent is made. 22 And no man putteth new wine into old skins: otherwise, the [new] wine bursteth the skins, and the wine is spilled, and the skins will be marred: but new wine must be put into new skins.”

23

And it came to pass that he went through the corn-fields on the sabbath; and his disciples began, as they went, to 24 pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, "See, why do they on the sabbath that which is not law25 ful?" And he said unto them, "Have ye never read what

David did when he had need, and both he himself hungered 26 and those that were with him? how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high-priest 3, and ate the shew-bread, which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests; 27 and gave to those also that were with him?" And he said

not man for

unto them, "The sabbath was made for man; 28 the sabbath. So that the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath."

CH. III. And he entered again into the synagogue; and a man 2 was there that had a withered hand. And the Pharisees watched him, whether he would cure the man on the sab3 bath; that they might accuse him. And he saith to the man 4 that had the withered hand, "Rise in the midst." Then

he saith to them, "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath, or to do evil? to save life or to kill?" But they kept silence. 5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved at the same time for the hardness of their heart, he saith to the man, "Stretch forth thine hand." 6 And he stretched it forth: and his hand was restored. And

in those days, R. T.

And no man, R. T. 3" in the days of Abiathar the high-priest." This clause is omitted in the Camb, and other Mss. and is It was in the days of Ahimelech the father of Abiwhole as the other, R. T.

probably spurious, N. n. athar. See 1 Sam. xxi.

the Pharisees and the Herodians immediately' went out, and held a consultation about Jesus, that they might de7 stroy him. But Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the

lake: and a great multitude followed [him] from Galilee, 8. and from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond Jordan: and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things 9 he did, came unto him. And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should attend him; because of the multitude, 10 lest they should throng him. For he had cured many; so that as many as had grievous diseases pressed upon him to 11 touch him. And unclean spirits, when they beheld him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, "Thou art the Son of 12 God *." But he charged them much, that they should not make him known.

13

2

And he goeth up a mountain, and calleth to him whom 14 he would; and they came unto him. And he appointed twelve, that they might be with him; and that he might 15 send them forth to preach, and to have the power of curing 16 diseases, and of casting out demons. And Simon he had 17 surnamed Peter; and James the son of Zebedee, and John

the brother of James; (now he had surnamed them Boa18 nerges, which is, Sons of thunder;) and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James, the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the 19 Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also delivered him up. And they go into an house. And the multitude cometh 21 together again; so that they could not even eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him for they said, "He is beside himself +.”

20

:

This is the arrangement of the words in Dr. Newcome's margin. Gr. scourges,
S. 50. N. m.

* That Jesus was the Messiah was the popular opinion, arising from the miracles which he performed. It was natural for insane persons to seize this idea, and to proclaim it with vehemence. Such testimony our Lord wisely discountenanced. +to lay hold on him;" to constrain him to take some refreshment. Sce

22

And the scribes, who had come down from Jerusalem, said, "He hath Beelzebub*; and, By the prince of the 23 demons he casteth out demons." Then he called them unto

him, and said unto them in parables, "How can Satan cast 24 out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that 25 kingdom cannot stand. And if an house be divided against 26 itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but must have1 27 an end. No man can enter into a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man: and 28 then he may plunder his house. Verily I say unto you, All

sins will be forgiven unto the sons of men, and the blasphe29 mies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but he who

shall blaspheme against the holy spirit hath never forgive30 ness, but is liable to everlasting punishment t." Because they said, "He hath an unclean spirit.”

31. His mother therefore and his brethren come 3; and, stand. 32 ing without, they sent unto him, calling him. Now the multitude sat about him; and some said unto him, "Behold, thy mother, and thy brethren, stand without and seek thee."

Gr. bath. Gr. hath not forgiveness for ever: for the age or period of correction, Sn. 3 His brethren and his mother, R. T. and N. t. 4" and thy sisters,” N. t. This reading was admitted by Griesbach in his first and second edition, but rejected in the third.

Acts ii. 24; 2 Kings iv. 8.-They said, "He is beside himself." See 2 Cor. v. 13. q. d. "he acts unreasonably; without regard to health or safety." Newcome.— It is to be remembered that his townsmen and even his brethren gave no credit to his divine mission. Mark vi. 3; John vii, 5.-Or, “they said, he will faint:" as Gen. xlv. 26; Josh. ii. 11. Simpson's Essays xiii. Mr. Wakefield's translation is, "When his own family heard of it they went out to secure him, for some had told them that he was gone out." See ver. 31.

*Not the devil, but a heathen god, a human ghost: the supposed chief of possessing demons. See Luke xi. 15.

+ The true reading is áμagrnμaros, sin; which is a Hebraism for punishment the effect of sin. See Newcome. The sin against the holy spirit is, ver. 30, plainly stated to be, ascribing the miracles of Christ, and this miracle in particular, to demoniacal agency. They who acted thus could never be converted to the Christian faith, because they resisted the strongest possible evidence. They remained therefore in the same forlorn state in which Christianity found them: which is expressed by the phrase, “ they should never have forgiveness."