5:12 While ¹  Jesus ²  was in one of the towns, ³  a man came ⁴  to him who was covered with ⁵  leprosy. ⁶  When ⁷  he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the ground ⁸  and begged him, ⁹  “Lord, if ¹⁰  you are willing, you can make me clean.” 5:13 So ¹¹  he stretched out his hand and touched ¹²  him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 5:14 Then ¹³  he ordered the man ¹⁴  to tell no one, ¹⁵  but commanded him, ¹⁶  “Go ¹⁷  and show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering ¹⁸  for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, ¹⁹  as a testimony to them.” ²⁰  5:15 But the news about him spread even more, ²¹  and large crowds were gathering together to hear him ²²  and to be healed of their illnesses. 5:16 Yet Jesus himself ²³  frequently withdrew ²⁴  to the wilderness ²⁵  and prayed.

5:17 Now on ²⁶  one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees ²⁷  and teachers of the law ²⁸  sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem), ²⁹  and the power of the Lord was with him ³⁰  to heal. 5:18 Just then ³¹  some men showed up, carrying a paralyzed man ³²  on a stretcher. ³³  They ³⁴  were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus. ³⁵  5:19 But ³⁶  since they found ³⁷  no way to carry him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof ³⁸  and let him down on the stretcher ³⁹  through the roof tiles ⁴⁰  right ⁴¹  in front of Jesus. ⁴²  5:20 When ⁴³  Jesus ⁴⁴  saw their ⁴⁵  faith he said, “Friend, ⁴⁶  your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁷  5:21 Then ⁴⁸  the experts in the law ⁴⁹  and the Pharisees began to think ⁵⁰  to themselves, ⁵¹  “Who is this man ⁵²  who is uttering blasphemies? ⁵³  Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 5:22 When Jesus perceived ⁵⁴  their hostile thoughts, ⁵⁵  he said to them, ⁵⁶  “Why are you raising objections ⁵⁷  within yourselves? 5:23 Which is easier, ⁵⁸  to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 5:24 But so that you may know ⁵⁹  that the Son of Man ⁶⁰  has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the paralyzed man ⁶¹  – “I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher ⁶²  and go home.” ⁶³  5:25 Immediately ⁶⁴  he stood up before them, picked ⁶⁵  up the stretcher ⁶⁶  he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying ⁶⁷  God. 5:26 Then ⁶⁸  astonishment ⁶⁹  seized them all, and they glorified ⁷⁰  God. They were filled with awe, ⁷¹  saying, “We have seen incredible ⁷²  things ⁷³  today.” ⁷⁴