939

12 thine house.' And immediately he arose, took up his

13

14

15

couch, and went out before them all; so that all were amazed, and glorified God, saying, "We never saw it thus!"

And Jesus went out again by the side of the lake: 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 and drinketh with the publicans and sinners?" 17 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 of 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 dis19 ciples 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 20 with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them; and 21 then they will fast in 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 22 a worse rent is made. And no man putteth new wine into old skins: otherwise, the [new] wine bursteth the

tax-gatherers, and gentiles, who were regarded as sinners.

+ placed themselves with Jesus, N.

"but sinners to repentance," R. T.

"in those days,” R. T.

23

skins, and the wine is spilled, and the skins will be marred: but new wine must be put into new skins."

And it came to pass that he went through the cornfields on the sabbath; and his disciples began, as they 24 went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, "See, why do they on the sabbath that which 25 is not lawful?" And he said unto them, "Have ye never

read what David did, when he had need, and both he him26 self hungered and those that were with him? how he went into the house of God*, and ate the shew-bread, which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests; and gave 27 to those also that were with him?" And he said unto them, "The sabbath was made for man; not man for the 28 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 that had the withered hand, "Rise in the midst." 4 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 5 kept silence. 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." And he stretched it forth and his 6 hand was restoredt. And the Pharisees and the Herodians immediately went out, and held a consultation 7 about Jesus, that they might destroy him. But Jesus

withdrew with his disciples to the lake: and a great mul8 titude followed him from Galilee, and from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond

"in the days of Abiathar the high-priest," N. This clause is omitted in the Camb. and others MSS. Newcome expresses his doubts of its authenticity; though he and Griesbach continue it in the text. See 1 Sam. xxi. 1-5.

+whole as the other." R. T.

This is the arrangement of the words in Dr. Newcome's margin.

Jordan and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came 9 unto him. And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should attend him; because of the multitude, lest 10 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 12 Son of God." But he charged them much, that they should not make him known.

13

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 cur16 ing diseases, and of casting out demons. And Simon 17 he had surnamed Peter; and James the son of Zebedee,

and John the brother of James; (now he had surnamed 18 them Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder ;) and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, 19 and Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot; who also delivered him up.

20 And they go into an house. And the multitude cometh together again; so that they could not even eat bread. 21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him for they said, "He is beside himself." 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 24 Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided 25 against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a

house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided,

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

27 he cannot stand; but must have an end. No man can enter into a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man and then 28 he may plunder his house. Verily I say unto you, All sins will be forgiven unto the sons of men, and the 29 blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme : but he who shall blaspheme against the holy spirit hath never forgiveness; but is liable to everlasting pu30 nishment*." Because they said, "He hath an unclean spirit."

31 His brethren therefore and his mother come; and,

standing without, they sent unto him, [calling him.] 32 Now the multitude sat about him; and some said unto him, "Behold, thy mother, and thy brethren, fand thy 33 sisters, stand without and seek thee." And he answered

them, saying, "Who is my mother, or my brethren?" 34 And he looked round on those who sat about him, and 35 saith, “Behold, my mother, and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and [my] sister, and mother."

CH. IV. And again he began to teach by the side of the lake and a great multitude was gathered together unto him so that he went into a ship, and sat therein in the lake ; and the whole multitude was near the lake, on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said 3 unto them in his teaching, "Hearken: Behold, a sower 4 went out to sow and it came to pass as he sowed, that some seed fell by the way-side, and the fowls came and 5 devoured it. And some fell on a rocky place, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, be

The true reading, is áμagtyμates, 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 his apostles to demoniacal agency. They who acted thus could never be converted to the christian faith, be cause 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."

+" and thy sisters." This clause is omitted in the received text.

6 cause it had not depth of earth. But when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and, because it had not root, it 7 withered. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns 8 grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and yielded fruit, which sprang up, and increased, and brought forth, some thirty 9 fold, and some sixty, and some an hundred." Then he said, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

10

And when he was apart, those that were about him, 11 and the Twelve, asked him concerning the parable. And he said unto them, "Unto you [it] is given [to know] the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto those that 12 are without, all things are spoken in parables; so that seeing they see, and do not perceive; and hearing they hear, and do not understand, neither are they converted and 13 forgiven." And he saith unto them, " Know ye not this 14 parable? how then will ye know all parables? The sower 15 soweth the word. And these are they by the way-side,

where the word is sown now when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word which 16 was sown in their hearts. And these are they in like manner that are sown on stony places; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 yet have not root in themselves, but endure for a short time and afterward when affliction or persecution ariseth 18 because of the word, they immediately tfall away. And

these are they that are sown among thorns; who hear the 19 word, and the anxious cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of other things entering in, choke the word; and it becometh unfruitful. 20 And these are they that are sown on good ground; who hear the word, and receive it; and bear fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred."

21

He said also unto them, "Is a lamp brought to be put

* i. e. the enemies of truth and goodness.

+ N. m. offend, N. t.