Fluent Translation · Read & Reflect
Luke 5
Simon and the Great Catch
One day, while the crowd was pressing around Jesus and listening to God’s word, he was standing beside Lake Gennesaret. He saw two boats at the lake, but the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But at your word, I will let down the nets.” When they did this, they enclosed such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man.” For amazement had seized him and everyone with him because of the catch of fish they had taken, and the same was true of James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive.” They brought the boats to shore, left everything, and followed him.
A Man Is Made Clean
While Jesus was in one of the towns, look—there was a man covered with a serious skin disease. When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and pleaded, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand, touched him, and said, “I am willing. Be made clean.” Immediately the disease left him. Jesus ordered him to tell no one: “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” But news about Jesus spread all the more, and large crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their illnesses. Yet he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.
A Paralytic Forgiven and Healed
One day while Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the Law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem, and the Lord’s power was present for him to heal. Look—some men were carrying a paralyzed man on a bed and trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the bed through the tiles into the middle of the gathering before Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.” The scribes and Pharisees began reasoning, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins except God alone?” But Jesus knew their reasoning and answered, “Why are you reasoning these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 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 tell you, get up, pick up your bed, and go home.” Immediately he got up in front of them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. Amazement seized everyone. They glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
Levi Is Called
After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. He said to him, “Follow me.” Levi left everything, got up, and followed him. Then Levi gave a large banquet for Jesus in his house. A large crowd of tax collectors and others were reclining at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes grumbled to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Healthy people do not need a physician, but sick people do. I have not come to call righteous people, but sinners to repentance.”
Fasting and the New
They said to him, “John’s disciples fast often and offer prayers, and the Pharisees’ disciples do the same, but yours eat and drink.” Jesus said to them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? Days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. Otherwise the new garment will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old. No one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will spill, and the skins will be ruined. New wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants new, because they say, ‘The old is good.’”