Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
And the scribes and Pharisees began to reason, in their hearts, Why doth this _man_ thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them,
Why reason ye these things? Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, _Thy_ sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
But when the multitudes saw _it_, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men; and were filled with fear, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. We have seen strange things to day.
And after these things he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, (a publican named Levi) the _son_ of Alpheus, sitting at the receipt of custom, and he said unto him,
And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they murmured against his disciples, saying, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard _it_, he saith unto them,
They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
And 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, often, and make prayers, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them,
