Luke 5:27-39

Other Translations of Luke 5:27-39

King James Version

The Call of Levi

²⁷ And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. ²⁸ And he left all, rose up, and followed him. ²⁹ And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. ³⁰ But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? ³¹ And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. ³² I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The Question about Fasting

³³ And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? ³⁴ And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? ³⁵ But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. ³⁶ And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. ³⁷ And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. ³⁹ No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

English Standard Version

The Call of Levi

²⁷ After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, "Follow me." ²⁸ And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. ²⁹ And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. ³⁰ And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" ³¹ And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³²  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

The Question about Fasting

³³ And they said to him, "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink." ³⁴ And Jesus said to them, "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? ³⁵  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days." ³⁶ He also told them a parable: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. ³⁹ And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'"Some manuscripts better

The Message

The Call of Levi

²⁷ After this he went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, "Come along with me." ²⁸ And he did - walked away from everything and went with him. ²⁹ Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. ³⁰ The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. "What is he doing eating and drinking with crooks and 'sinners'?" ³¹ Jesus heard about it and spoke up, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? ³² I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders - an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out."

The Question about Fasting

³³ They asked him, "John's disciples are well-known for keeping fasts and saying prayers. Also the Pharisees. But you seem to spend most of your time at parties. Why?" ³⁴ Jesus said, "When you're celebrating a wedding, you don't skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but this isn't the time. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time. ³⁵ When the groom is gone, the fasting can begin. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come! ³⁶ "No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. ³⁷ And you don't put wine in old, cracked bottles; ³⁸ you get strong, clean bottles for your fresh vintage wine. ³⁹ And no one who has ever tasted fine aged wine prefers unaged wine."

New King James Version

The Call of Levi

²⁷ After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." ²⁸ So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. ²⁹ Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. ³⁰ And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" ³¹ Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

The Question about Fasting

³³ Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?" ³⁴ And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? ³⁵ But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days." ³⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them: "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. ³⁷ And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. ³⁹ And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.' "

New Living Translation

The Call of Levi

²⁷ Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector's booth. "Follow me and be my disciple," Jesus said to him. ²⁸ So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. ²⁹ Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi's fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus' disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with such scum? " ³¹ Jesus answered them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor-sick people do. ³² I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent."

The Question about Fasting

³³ One day some people said to Jesus, "John the Baptist's disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?" ³⁴ Jesus responded, "Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. ³⁵ But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast." ³⁶ Then Jesus gave them this illustration: "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn't even match the old garment. ³⁷ "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. ³⁸ New wine must be stored in new wineskins. ³⁹ But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. 'The old is just fine,' they say."