# Matthew 9 (New King James Version)
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic

##### Chapter 9
###### 1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.  
###### 2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, **"Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."**

###### 3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"

###### 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, **"Why do you think evil in your hearts?**  
###### 5 **For which is easier, to say, '_Your_ sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?**  
###### 6 **But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"**--then He said to the paralytic, **"Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."**  
###### 7 And he arose and departed to his house.

###### 8 Now when the multitudes saw _it,_ they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.Matthew the Tax Collector

###### 9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, **"Follow Me."** So he arose and followed Him.

###### 10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, _that_ behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  
###### 11 And when the Pharisees saw _it,_ they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

###### 12 When Jesus heard _that,_ He said to them, **"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.**  
###### 13 **But go and learn what _this_ means:** **'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous,** **but sinners,** **to repentance."**Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting

###### 14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"

###### 15 And Jesus said to them, **"Can** **the** **friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and** **then they will fast.**  
###### 16 **No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for** **the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.**  
###### 17 **Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins** **break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."**A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

###### 18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  
###### 19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so _did_ His disciples.

###### 20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  
###### 21 For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  
###### 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, **"Be of good cheer, daughter;** **your faith has made you well."** And the woman was made well from that hour.

###### 23 When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing,  
###### 24 He said to them, **"Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."** And they ridiculed Him.  
###### 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  
###### 26 And the report of this went out into all that land.Two Blind Men Healed

###### 27 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"

###### 28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, **"Do you believe that I am able to do this?"**
They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."

###### 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, **"According to your faith let it be to you."**  
###### 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, **"See _that_ no one knows _it_."**  
###### 31 But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.A Mute Man Speaks

###### 32 As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.  
###### 33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"

###### 34 But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."The Compassion of Jesus

###### 35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  
###### 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  
###### 37 Then He said to His disciples, **"The harvest truly _is_ plentiful, but the laborers _are_ few.**  
###### 38 **Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."**