Section VII.

[1] [Arabic, p. 26] 449And in the morning of that day he went out very early, and went to a [2] desert place, and was there praying.  450And Simon and those that were with [3] him sought him.  451And when they found him, they said unto him, All the people seek for [4] thee.  452He said unto them, Let us go into the adjacent villages and towns, that I may [5] preach there also; for to this end did I come.  453And the multitudes were seeking him, and came till they reached him; and they took hold of him, that he should not [6] go away from them.  454But Jesus said unto them, I must preach of the kingdom of [7] God in other cities also:  for because of this gospel was I sent.  455And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, and teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all the diseases and all the sicknesses, [8] 456and casting out the devils.  457And his fame became known 458that459 he was teaching in [9] every place and being glorified by every man.  460And when he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting among the tax-gatherers;461 and he said unto him, Follow [10] me:  and he rose and followed him.  462And the news of him was heard of in all the land of Syria:  and they brought unto him all those whom grievous ills had befallen through divers diseases, and those that were enduring torment, and those that were possessed, and lunatics,463 and paralytics; and he healed them.

[11, 12] 464And after some days Jesus entered into Capernaum again.  465And when they heard that he was in the house,466 many gathered, so that it could not hold them, even about [13] [Arabic, p. 27] the door; and he made known to them the word of God.  467And there were there some of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, sitting, come from all the villages of Galilee, and Judæa, and Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was [14] present to heal them.  468And some men brought a bed with a man on it who was paralytic.  [15] And they sought to bring him in and lay him before him.  469And when they found no way to bring him in because of the multitude of people, they went up to the roof, and let him down with his bed from the roofing,470 into the midst before Jesus.  [16] 471And when Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the paralytic, My son, thy sins are forgiven [17] thee.  472And the scribes and Pharisees began to think within their hearts, Why doth this man blaspheme?473  Who is it that is able to forgive sins, but God alone?  [18] 474And Jesus knew by the spirit that they were thinking this within themselves, and he [19] said unto them, Why do ye think this within your heart?  475Which is better,476 that it should be said to the paralytic, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or that it should be said [20] to him, Arise, and take thy bed, and walk?  477That ye may know that the Son of man [21] is empowered on earth to forgive sins (and he said to the paralytic), 478I say unto thee, [22] Arise, take thy bed, and go to thine house.  479And he rose forthwith, and took his bed, and went out in the presence of all.  480And he went to his house praising God.  [23] 481And when those multitudes saw, they feared; 482and amazement took possession of [24] them, 483and they praised God, who had given such power to men.  484And they said, We have seen marvellous things to-day, 485of which we have never before seen the like.

[25] [Arabic, p. 28] 486And after that, Jesus went out, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting [26] among the publicans:487  and he said unto him, Follow me.  488And he left [27] everything, and rose, and followed him.  489And Levi made him a great feast in his house.  And there was a great multitude of the publicans and others sitting with him.  [28] 490And the scribes and Pharisees murmured, and said unto his disciples, Why do ye eat [29] and drink with the publicans and sinners?  491Jesus answered and said unto them, The physician seeketh not those who are well, but those that are afflicted with grievous [30, 31] sickness.492  493I came not to call the righteous, but the sinners, to repentance.  494And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast always, and pray, and the [32] Pharisees also, but thy disciples eat and drink?  495He said unto them, Ye cannot make [33] the sons of the marriage feast496 fast, while the bridegroom is with them.  497Days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them; then will they fast in those [34] days.  498And he spake unto them a parable:  499No man inserteth a new patch and seweth it in a worn garment, lest the newness of the new take from the worn, and [35] there occur a great rent.  500And no man putteth fresh wine into old skins, lest the wine burst the skins, and the skins be destroyed, and the wine spilled; but they put [36] the fresh wine in the new skins, and both are preserved.  501And no man drinketh old wine and straightway desireth fresh; for he saith, The old is better.

[37] 502And while Jesus was walking on the sabbath day among the sown fields, his disciples [Arabic, p. 29] hungered.  And they were rubbing the ears with their hands, and [38] eating.  503But some of the Pharisees, when they saw them, 504said unto him, See, [39] why505 do thy disciples on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?  506But Jesus said unto them, Have ye not read in olden time what David did, when he had need and [40] hungered, he and those that were with him?