9
1 And, having embarked into a sirah (boat), Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach crossed over* and came into his own shtetl. 2 And hinei! They brought to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach a paralytic lying upon a mat. Having seen their emunah, he said to the paralytic, Chazak! (Be strong!) Selicha (forgiveness) is granted on your averos (sins)! 3 And hinei! Some of the Sofrim said to themselves, This one commits Chillul Hashem!† 4 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, reading their minds, said, Why are you thinking ra'ah (evil) in your levavot (hearts)? 5 For which is easier to say, Selicha is granted on your averos! Or…Arise and walk!? 6 But in order that you may have da'as that the Bar Enosh‡ has samchut (authority) on earth to pronounce selicha (forgiveness) on chattaim (sins) — Moshiach then declared to the paralytic, Arise, take up your mat and go to your bais (house). 7 And arising, he went away to his bais. 8 And having witnessed this, the multitudes experienced yirat Shomayim and gave kavod to Hashem, who had given such samchut to men.
9 And going away from there, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach saw a man called Mattityahu sitting in the tax office. And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to him, Follow me. And Mattityahu arose and followed him.
10 And it came about that while Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was sitting bimesibba (reclining) at tish (table) in the bais, hinei! Many mochesim (tax collectors) and chote'im (sinners) came and were sitting bimesibba (reclining) at tish (table) with Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach and his talmidim. 11 When the Perushim saw this, they were saying to Moshiachʼs talmidim, Why does your Rebbe eat with the mochesim and the chote'im? 12 But when Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach heard this, he said, It is not the bariim (healthy ones) who have need of a rofeh (physician), but the cholim. 13 Go and learn what this means: CHESED CHAFATZTI VLO ZEVACH§(I desire loving kindness and not sacrifice), for I have not come to call the tzaddikim but the chote'im (sinners).*
14 Then Yochananʼs talmidim approached Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, saying, Why do we and the Perushim often undergo tzomot (fasts), but your talmidim do not undergo tzomot? 15 And Moshiach said to them, Surely the Bnei HaChuppah (wedding invitees) are not able to act as avelim (mourners) as long as the Choson (Bridegroom),† is with them. But the days will come when the Choson is taken away from them, and then they will undergo tzomot. 16 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 Neither do men put yayin chadash (new wine) into old wineskins; otherwise, the wineskins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they pour yayin chadash into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
18 While Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was speaking these things to them one of the nichbadim (dignitaries)‡ came and fell down before Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, saying, The bat (daughter) of me has just become niftar (passed away), but come lay your hand upon her and she will live. 19 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach got up and, with his talmidim, followed him. 20 And hinei! An isha (woman) hemorrhaging twelve years approached him from behind and touched the garment of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiachʼs tzitzit. 21 For she was saying to herself, If only I might touch his garment, I will receive refuah (healing). 22 Turning and seeing her, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Chazak, bat (daughter) of me! Your emunah has brought you refuah. And the isha was healed from that hour. 23 And having come into the bais (house) of the nichbad (dignitary), and having seen the flute players and the unruly crowd, 24 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was saying, Go away! For the yaldah is not among the mesim — she sleeps! And they were making leitzonus (mockery, fun) of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach went in and took the yaldah by the hand and the yaldah was made to stand up alive. 26 And this report went out into all that region.
27 And as Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach went on from there, two ivrim (blind men) followed him, shouting loudly, Chaneinu, Ben Dovid! 28 And when Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach§ entered the bais (house), the ivrim (blind men) approached him, and he says to them, Do you have emunah that I am able to do this? They say to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, Ken, Adoneinu. 29 Then Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach touched their eyes, saying, According to your emunah, let it be done for you. 30 And their eyes were opened. Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach sternly warned them, saying, See to it that no one knows! 31 But having gone out, they made him known in that entire district.
32 After they had departed, the people brought to him a mute man who was possessed by shedim. 33 And when the shedim had been cast out by Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, the mute man spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, Never was anything like this seen in Eretz Yisroel! 34 But the Perushim said, It was by the Sar HaShedim (the Prince of Demons) that this man casts out shedim!
35 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach went about all the shtetlach and villages exercising the ministry of moreh (teacher) in their shuls and of darshan (preacher) of the Besuras HaGeulah of the Malchut Hashem and bringing refuah to all the cholim, every machla (disease) and every illness. 36 And looking out on the multitudes, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach felt rachmei Shomayim (heavenly compassion and mercy) for his people, for they were distressed and weary KATZON ASHER EIN LAHEM ROEH*(like sheep without a shepherd). 37 Then Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to his talmidim, The katzir (harvest) is indeed great but the kotzerim (harvesters) are few. 38 Therefore, offer tefillos to the Adon HaKatzir (the L-rd of the Harvest) that He may send out Kotzerim into His Katzir.
* 9:1 to the other side of the lake † 9:3 Lv 22:32 ‡ 9:6 Moshiach § 9:13 Hos 6:6 * 9:13 to teshuva † 9:15 i.e., Moshiach ‡ 9:18 of the shul § 9:28 Ben Dovid * 9:36 Num 27:17