Mark 2

7 translations · read through 12 traditions.

NCB · New Consensus Bible

¹And when he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he is at home. ²And immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door, and he was speaking the word to them. ³And they come bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four. ⁴And not being able to bring him to him because of the crowd, they unroofed the roof where he was, and having dug it out, they let down the mat where the paralytic was lying. ⁵And Jesus, seeing their faith, says to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts: ⁷“Why does this man speak thus? He blasphemes! Who can forgive sins except one, God?” ⁸And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they were thus reasoning within themselves, says to them, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your mat and walk’? ¹⁰But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—he says to the paralytic— ¹¹“I say to you, arise, and take up your mat and go to your house.” ¹²And he arose, and immediately taking up the mat, he went out in front of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw it thus!” ¹³And he went out again by the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. ¹⁴And passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he says to him, “Follow me.” And rising up, he followed him. ¹⁵And it happens, as he was reclining at the table in his house, that many tax collectors and sinners were reclining together with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many, and they followed him. ¹⁶And the scribes of the Pharisees, seeing that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why is it that he eats and drinks with the tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷And Jesus, hearing it, says to them, “The healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” ¹⁸And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting. And they come and say to him, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁹And Jesus said to them, “Can the sons of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. ²¹No one patches a patch of unshrunk cloth upon an old garment; otherwise the fullness takes away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. ²²And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the new wine will burst the wineskins, and the wine perishes, and the wineskins will perish; but new wine must be put into new wineskins.” ²³And it happened that he was going along on the Sabbath through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make a way, plucking the heads of grain. ²⁴And the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing on the Sabbath what is not lawful?” ²⁵And he says to them, “Did you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry—he and those who were with him? ²⁶How he entered into the house of God at the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the loaves of the presentation, which it is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?” ²⁷And he was saying to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

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What the traditions agree on

Christian traditions affirm that Jesus' act of forgiving sins on earth proves his divine nature, with several traditions noting that the physical healing of the paralytic provides empirical proof of this invisible authority and demonstrates the efficacy of communal intercessory prayer. Some traditions further connect these events to the ongoing ecclesiastical administration of absolution, a holistic scriptural basis for sacramental unction, and the lawfulness of works of necessity and mercy on… Sign in to read the full consensus →

Where the traditions differ

Christ's identification as a physician frames salvation primarily as a therapeutic healing from the illness of sin rather than a juridical acquittal.
orthodox: AFFIRM; oriental-orthodox: QUALIFY; reformed: DENY; methodist: QUALIFY
Jesus' table fellowship with outcasts establishes a mandate for radical inclusion and the subversion of socio-religious power structures.
anglican: QUALIFY; baptist: QUALIFY; anabaptist: AFFIRM
Jesus' teaching on the bridegroom justifies a structured, perpetual calendar of fasting disciplines for the church following Christ's ascension.
catholic: AFFIRM; orthodox: AFFIRM; oriental-orthodox: AFFIRM; anglican: AFFIRM; reformed: DENY
Fasting is an occasional duty tied to specific providential seasons or urgent needs rather than a perpetual, structured liturgical ordinance.
catholic: DENY; orthodox: DENY; oriental-orthodox: DENY; anglican: DENY; reformed: AFFIRM
The 'new wine' represents the Gospel and Spirit, while the 'new wineskins' signify a renewed human nature capable of containing them.
oriental-orthodox: AFFIRM; baptist: QUALIFY; methodist: QUALIFY; anabaptist: QUALIFY; pentecostal: QUALIFY; restorationist: DENY
The parables of the unshrunk cloth and new wineskins illustrate the redemptive-historical shift from Old Covenant institutions to the definitive New Covenant, prohibiting their mixture.
anglican: AFFIRM; reformed: AFFIRM; baptist: AFFIRM; anabaptist: QUALIFY; pentecostal: QUALIFY; restorationist: AFFIRM
The 'new wineskins' signify the necessity of flexible, dynamic church structures that can accommodate ongoing spiritual revival.
oriental-orthodox: DENY; baptist: AFFIRM; methodist: AFFIRM; anabaptist: AFFIRM; pentecostal: AFFIRM; adventist: AFFIRM; restorationist: DENY
Jesus' declaration that the Sabbath was made for man reveals it as a universal, perpetual creation ordinance binding all humanity.
anglican: AFFIRM; lutheran: DENY; reformed: AFFIRM; baptist: QUALIFY; adventist: AFFIRM; restorationist: DENY
Christ's actions in the grain fields were intended to strip the Sabbath of burdensome rabbinical restrictions to restore its true meaning, rather than to abolish its observance.
catholic: QUALIFY; anglican: AFFIRM; lutheran: QUALIFY; reformed: AFFIRM; baptist: QUALIFY; methodist: AFFIRM; anabaptist: QUALIFY; adventist: AFFIRM; restorationist: DENY
Christ's claim to be Lord of the Sabbath foreshadows the end of Saturday observance and justifies the transition of Christian rest and worship to Sunday.
catholic: AFFIRM; lutheran: AFFIRM; reformed: QUALIFY; baptist: QUALIFY; adventist: DENY; restorationist: AFFIRM
The declaration that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath establishes that Jesus' authority and teachings supersede Old Testament law.
catholic: AFFIRM; lutheran: AFFIRM; reformed: DENY; anabaptist: AFFIRM; restorationist: AFFIRM

How each tradition reads it

Each reading was generated in isolation — no tradition sees another’s answer.

Catholic

Mark 2 presents a series of five controversies in Galilee where Jesus demonstrates divine authority to the religious leaders. These conflicts center on the forgiveness of sins and the physical healing of a paralytic, eating with tax collectors and sinners, the question of fasting, and the disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath. Throughout the chapter, Jesus asserts his identity as the Son of Man who possesses authority on earth to forgive sins, the Bridegroom whose presence dictates a joyous feast, and the Lord of the Sabbath who supersedes strict ritual interpretations of the law. Reception: The Catholic tradition reads this chapter through a highly sacramental and ecclesiological lens. The healing of the paralytic is a primary locus for the doctrine of the Sacrament of Penance; the Council of Trent identifies Christ's assertion of the 'Son of Man' having authority on earth to forgive sins as the foundation of the absolution power He entrusts to the Church elsewhere in the Gospels. Furthermore, Christ acting upon 'seeing their faith' is interpreted by Latin Fathers like Bede the Venerable as proof of the efficacy of intercessory prayer, infant baptism, and the communion of saints, wherein the faith of the Church assists those who are entirely paralyzed by sin. Eastern Catholic traditions, drawing on Syriac Fathers like Ephrem the Syrian, heavily emphasize the motif of Christ as the Divine Physician, who descends to heal both the physical paralysis and the spiritual sickness of humanity, coming expressly for the sick. The bridegroom imagery grounds the tradition's theology of fasting, not as a rejection of matter, but as an eschatological longing and a participation in the Passion when the Bridegroom is 'taken away.' Finally, David eating the showbread is read typologically as a prefiguration of the Eucharist, which supersedes the old law, while Christ's claim to be Lord of the Sabbath grounds the transition of Christian worship from the Jewish Sabbath to Sunday, the Lord's Day.

Eastern Orthodox

In Mark 2, Jesus returns to Capernaum and enacts a series of signs and teachings that demonstrate his divine authority, provoking escalating opposition from religious leaders. He forgives and physically heals a paralytic let down through a roof, calls a tax collector named Levi, and shares a meal with societal outcasts. When challenged about his disciples' lack of fasting, Jesus identifies himself as the Bridegroom whose presence dictates joy rather than mourning. Finally, he defends his disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath, declaring himself Lord of the Sabbath. Reception: Eastern Orthodox reception approaches this chapter fundamentally as a revelation of Christ's divine nature and a scriptural foundation for the Church's therapeutic understanding of salvation. Irenaeus of Lyons highlights that Christ’s forgiveness of the paralytic’s sins (vv. 5-10) proves His divine identity, arguing that only God, the Creator against whom the transgression was ultimately committed, possesses the authority to forgive it. Theophylact of Ohrid provides a standard patristic reading of the paralytic, interpreting the paralyzed man as the human soul immobilized by sin. Theophylact places special emphasis on the fact that Jesus forgives and heals upon seeing 'their' faith (v. 5)—the faith of the four friends. The tradition views this as a primary validation for communal intercession, demonstrating that God extends mercy to individuals through the faith and prayers of the broader Church and the communion of saints. Furthermore, Christ’s self-designation as a physician who has come for the sick (v. 17) anchors the Orthodox model of theosis. In this framework, sin is not primarily a legal infraction requiring penal satisfaction, but a severe spiritual illness requiring the medicine of repentance. The Bridegroom's departure (v. 20) is understood as the theological basis for the Church's fasting disciplines, viewing the fast not as a return to legalism but as an expression of eschatological longing for Christ's return.

Oriental Orthodox

Mark 2 is a narrative chapter detailing four distinct controversies that establish Jesus' authority and the disruptive nature of His ministry in Galilee. First, He heals a paralytic lowered through a roof, explicitly claiming the divine prerogative to forgive sins. Second, He calls Levi, a tax collector, and eats with marginalized sinners, declaring Himself a physician for the spiritually sick. Third, He defends His disciples' lack of fasting by introducing the metaphor of the bridegroom and the parables of new cloth and new wineskins, indicating that His presence brings an entirely new framework that cannot be contained within old structures. Finally, He defends His disciples for plucking grain on the Sabbath, asserting that the Sabbath serves humanity and that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. Reception: The Oriental Orthodox tradition reads this chapter profoundly through its miaphysite Christology and ascetic theology. The healing of the paralytic (vv. 5-12) is historically critical for defending the 'one incarnate nature of God the Word.' Theologians like Severus of Antioch point to this passage to argue against dividing Christ's actions into strictly separate divine and human spheres. The Word does not merely forgive sins 'as God' while a separate human nature commands the man to walk 'as man'; rather, the single, unified subject—the incarnate Word—simultaneously speaks with human lips, heals the body, and grants divine absolution. The episode encapsulates the indivisible union of divinity and humanity. The declaration of Jesus as the physician (v. 17) is received as a comprehensive summary of the incarnation's purpose: the Word took on flesh to heal the diseased human condition. In the Syriac tradition, Ephrem the Syrian views the 'new wine' (v. 22) as the life-giving presence of the Spirit and the Gospel, while the 'new wineskins' represent the renewed human nature, cleansed and made resilient enough to receive this divine grace without bursting, in contrast to the rigid, unrenewed frameworks of the Pharisees.

9 more traditions read this chapter.

Every translation

The same chapter in 7 public-domain translations.

WEB · World English Bible

¹When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was at home. ²Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them. ³Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him. ⁴When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on. ⁵Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” ⁶But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷“Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, and walk’? ¹⁰But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” —he said to the paralytic— ¹¹“I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.” ¹²He arose, and immediately took up the mat and went out in front of them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” ¹³He went out again by the seaside. All the multitude came to him, and he taught them. ¹⁴As he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him. ¹⁵He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him. ¹⁶The scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” ¹⁸John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?” ¹⁹Jesus said to them, “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast. ²⁰But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. ²¹No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made. ²²No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.” ²³He was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of grain. ²⁴The Pharisees said to him, “Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day?” ²⁵He said to them, “Did you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry—he, and those who were with him? ²⁶How he entered into God’s house at the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?” ²⁷He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

KJV · King James Version

¹And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. ²And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. ³And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. ⁴And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. ⁶But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? ⁸And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? ⁹Whether 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? ¹⁰But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) ¹¹I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. ¹²And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. ¹³And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. ¹⁴And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alpheus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. ¹⁵And 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. ¹⁶And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? ¹⁷When 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. ¹⁸And 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, but thy disciples fast not? ¹⁹And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. ²¹No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. ²²And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. ²³And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. ²⁴And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? ²⁵And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? ²⁶How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? ²⁷And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: ²⁸Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

5 more translations to compare, side by side.

Differences that change the meaning (72)

v1 [lexical]: Translation of the quantity of days — “some” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “several” (DARBY)
v2 [stylistic]: Different expressions for the gathering of the crowd and the consecutive result — “so” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY) vs “were gathered together insomuch” (KJV) vs “assembled so” (WEBSTER) vs “came so” (DRC)
v2 [lexical]: Translation of the spatial preposition indicating proximity to the door — “even at” (YLT, DARBY, DRC) vs “so much as about” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “even around” (WEB) vs “even” (ASV)
v2 [lexical]: Choice of verb to describe delivering the word and its tense — “spoke” (WEB, DARBY) vs “preached” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “spake” (ASV) vs “was speaking to them” (YLT) vs “spoke to them” (DRC)
v4 [lexical]: Different prepositional phrases indicating cause or reason — “for” (WEB, KJV, ASV, DRC) vs “because of” (YLT) vs “on account of” (DARBY) vs “by reason of” (WEBSTER)
v4 [lexical]: Translation of the word for the gathered people — “crowd” (WEB, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “multitude” (YLT, DRC) vs “press” (KJV)
v4 [lexical]: Translation of the action taken upon the roof — “uncovered” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “removed” (WEB)
v4 [lexical]: Different terms for the paralyzed man and rendering of his lying down — “palsy lay” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “paralytic was lying on” (WEB) vs “paralytic was lying” (YLT) vs “paralytic” (DARBY)
v5 [grammatical]: Translation of a Greek participle as a participle, finite past tense, or perfect/pluperfect — “seeing” (WEB, ASV, DARBY) vs “saw” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “having seen” (YLT) vs “had seen” (DRC)
v5 [lexical]: Different terms of address and rendering of the term for the paralyzed man — “palsy Son thy” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “paralytic Child” (YLT, DARBY) vs “paralytic your” (WEB)
v5 [grammatical]: (vv 5, 9) Translation of the verb tense and mood for the forgiveness of sins — “are” (WEB, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “be” (KJV) vs “have been” (YLT)
v6 [lexical]: Translation of the verb for internal deliberation — “reasoning” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “thinking” (DRC)
v7 [textual]: Textual variation between reading 'speaks blasphemies' as a noun object or 'He blasphemes' as a separate verb — “blasphemies” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “like that” (WEB) vs “he blasphemeth” (ASV) vs “evil words” (YLT) vs “he blasphemes” (DARBY) vs “thus he blasphemeth” (DRC)
v7 [lexical]: Different phrases for expressing ability or capacity — “can” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “is able to” (YLT, DARBY)
v7 [lexical]: Different literal or idiomatic renderings of the phrase 'except one, God' — “but” (WEB, KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “one even” (ASV) vs “except one” (YLT) vs “except” (DARBY)
v8 [grammatical]: Translation of the participle indicating Jesus' awareness — “perceiving” (WEB, ASV) vs “perceived” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “having known” (YLT) vs “knowing” (DARBY) vs “presently knowing” (DRC)
v8 [grammatical]: Differences in verb tense and choice of verb for internal reasoning — “so reasoned within” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “thus reason in” (YLT) vs “are reasoning thus” (DARBY) vs “thought” (DRC)
v8 [stylistic]: Variation in the verb of speaking and associated prepositions — “to” (WEB, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “he said unto” (KJV) vs “saith” (ASV) vs “saith to” (DRC)
v9 [stylistic]: Archaic vs. modern interrogative pronoun for a choice between two things — “Which” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “Whether” (KJV)
v9 [lexical]: (vv 9, 11) Translation of the word for the man's carrying mat or bed — “thy bed” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “couch” (YLT, DARBY) vs “your” (WEB)
v10 [lexical]: Translation of the term denoting the right, power, or authority to act — “hath power” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “authority” (ASV, YLT) vs “has authority” (WEB) vs “has” (DARBY)
v10 [lexical]: Different terms for the paralyzed man — “paralytic” (WEB, YLT, DARBY) vs “sick of the palsy” (KJV, ASV, DRC) vs “with” (WEBSTER)
v11 [stylistic]: Different prepositional and idiomatic phrasing for going home — “thy” (WEBSTER, DRC) vs “to your” (WEB) vs “thy way into thine” (KJV) vs “unto” (ASV) vs “away to” (YLT) vs “to” (DARBY)
v12 [stylistic]: Conjunction indicating result or extent — “so” (WEB, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “insomuch” (KJV, ASV)
v12 [lexical]: Translation of the verb describing the crowd's extreme surprise — “amazed” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “were astonished” (YLT) vs “were” (DARBY) vs “wondered” (DRC)
v12 [grammatical]: Third-person number differs: DRC use the singular ("him"/"his") where WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER use the plural ("them"/"their").
v13 [stylistic]: Adverbial choice accompanying the verb of motion — “forth” (KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “out” (WEB, DARBY)
v13 [lexical]: Preposition denoting location relative to the sea — “by” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “to” (DRC)
v13 [grammatical]: Differences in noun translation and verb tense for the crowd's approach — “came to” (WEB, DRC) vs “multitude resorted unto” (KJV, ASV) vs “was coming” (YLT) vs “crowd came to” (DARBY) vs “to” (WEBSTER)
v15 [lexical]: Idiomatic translation describing the act of reclining for a meal — “meat” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DRC) vs “table” (DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “the table” (WEB)
v15 [lexical]: (vv 15, 16) Translation of the term for tax officials — “publicans” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “tax-gatherers” (YLT, DARBY) vs “tax collectors” (WEB)
v15 [lexical]: Translation of the verb describing sitting or reclining together for a meal — “down” (WEB, ASV, DRC) vs “sat also together” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “were reclining at meat” (YLT) vs “lay at table” (DARBY)
v15 [grammatical]: Pronoun choice in rendering the existential clause — “there” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER) vs “they” (DARBY, DRC)
v15 [grammatical]: Coordination versus relative clause in linking the subjects' actions — “and they” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “who also” (DRC)
v16 [textual]: Textual variant reading 'scribes of the Pharisees' versus 'scribes and Pharisees' — “the” (WEB, YLT, DARBY, DRC) vs “and” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “of the” (ASV)
v17 [stylistic]: Different relative pronoun structures introducing a substantive clause — “They that” (KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “Those who” (WEB) vs “who” (YLT)
v17 [lexical]: Translation of the term describing physical wellness or strength — “whole” (KJV, ASV) vs “strong” (YLT, DARBY) vs “healthy” (WEB) vs “in health” (WEBSTER) vs “well” (DRC)
v17 [grammatical]: Negation phrasing — “no” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “not” (DARBY)
v17 [grammatical]: Translation of the genitive case modifying the word 'need' — “a” (ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “for a” (WEB) vs “of the” (KJV)
v17 [lexical]: Translation of the word for those who are unwell — “sick” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “ill” (YLT, DARBY) vs “For” (DRC)
v17 [grammatical]: Translation of the aorist verb as simple past or present perfect — “came” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “have” (DARBY)
v17 [lexical]: Translation of the term for those who are upright or just — “the righteous” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “men” (YLT, DARBY) vs “just” (DRC)
v18 [grammatical]: Translation of the imperfect periphrastic describing customary action — “were fasting” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY) vs “used to fast” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC)
v18 [grammatical]: Translation of the historical present verb as present or past tense — “come” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “came” (WEB)
v18 [stylistic]: Verb choice and preposition introducing direct speech — “to” (YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “say unto” (KJV, ASV) vs “asked” (WEB)
v18 [grammatical]: Different ways of expressing the genitive relationship — “the” (KJV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “John’s” (WEB, ASV)
v18 [stylistic]: Conjunction and pronoun indicating contrast — “but thy” (KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “your” (WEB) vs “and” (YLT)
v18 [stylistic]: Phrasing of the negative verb — “fast not” (KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “do fast” (YLT, DRC) vs “don’t” (WEB)
v19 [stylistic]: Different translation of the verb of speaking and preposition — “to” (WEB, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “said unto” (KJV, ASV) vs “saith to” (DRC)
v19 [stylistic]: Different expressions for inability — “cannot” (KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “can’t” (WEB) vs “are not able to” (YLT)
v20 [grammatical]: Differences in rendering the subjunctive mood and tense for future removal — “shall be” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “will” (WEB) vs “may” (YLT) vs “have been” (DARBY)
v20 [textual]: Textual variant between plural 'those days' and singular 'that day' — “those days” (KJV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “that day” (WEB, ASV, DARBY)
v21 [lexical]: Translation of the word for a piece of cloth used for mending — “piece” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “patch” (YLT, DARBY)
v21 [lexical]: Translation of the adjective describing the unprocessed state of the cloth — “new” (KJV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “undressed” (ASV, YLT) vs “unshrunk” (WEB) vs “raw” (DRC)
v21 [stylistic]: Prepositional or syntactic arrangement of sewing a patch onto a garment — “on” (WEB, KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “doth sew” (YLT) vs “to” (DRC)
v22 [stylistic]: Translation of the indefinite negative pronoun and present tense verb — “man putteth” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “one puts” (WEB, DARBY) vs “one doth put” (YLT)
v22 [lexical]: Translation of the container for wine and the conditional conjunction — “bottles else” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “wineskins or” (WEB) vs “wine-skins” (ASV) vs “skins and if not” (YLT) vs “skins otherwise” (DARBY) vs “otherwise” (DRC)
v22 [grammatical]: Translation of the tense of the verb describing the bursting action — “will” (WEB, ASV, DRC) vs “doth burst” (KJV, YLT, WEBSTER) vs “bursts” (DARBY)
v22 [lexical]: Translation of the word for animal-skin containers — “skins” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY) vs “bottles” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC)
v22 [textual]: Textual variant changing the verbs describing what happens to the wine and containers — “is spilled” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “poured out” (YLT, DARBY) vs “pours out” (WEB) vs “perisheth” (ASV) vs “will be” (DRC)
v23 [lexical]: Different interpretations of the idiom 'to make a way' while plucking — “pluck” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “make a way plucking” (YLT) vs “walk on plucking” (DARBY) vs “go forward and to” (DRC)
v25 [grammatical]: Translation of the past tense verb of reading — “Have ye” (KJV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “Did” (ASV, YLT) vs “Did you” (WEB) vs “you” (DRC)
v25 [grammatical]: Differences in rendering the verb for hungering and the emphatic pronoun — “hungry” (ASV, YLT, WEBSTER) vs “hungry—he” (WEB) vs “was an hungred he” (KJV) vs “hungered” (DARBY) vs “hungry himself” (DRC)
v25 [stylistic]: Different relative pronoun phrasing for the accompanying men — “they that were” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “those” (YLT, DARBY) vs “those who” (WEB)
v26 [lexical]: Translation of the verb of motion into a building — “went” (KJV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “entered” (WEB, ASV, DARBY)
v26 [grammatical]: Phrasing of the genitive modifying 'house' — “the” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “God’s” (WEB)
v26 [grammatical]: Translation of the prepositional phrase indicating the time of the high priest — “the high” (WEB, KJV, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “was” (ASV) vs “chief” (YLT)
v26 [grammatical]: Differences in verb tense and inclusion of dummy pronoun — “it” (ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “is” (WEB, KJV) vs “was” (DRC)
v26 [lexical]: Translation of the conjunction of exception — “to eat but for” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “except” (WEB) vs “save” (ASV) vs “except to” (YLT) vs “unless” (DARBY)
v26 [stylistic]: Relative pronoun structures referring to David's companions — “those who” (WEB, YLT) vs “who” (WEBSTER, DRC) vs “them which” (KJV) vs “that” (ASV) vs “those that” (DARBY)
v27 [lexical]: Translation of the preposition indicating purpose or cause — “for” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “on account of” (DARBY)
v28 [grammatical]: Translation of the conjunction introducing a concluding statement — “Therefore” (WEB, KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “so that” (ASV, YLT, DARBY)

Behind this page

Source text. Greek (TAGNT, public-domain critical text). Provided public-domain Greek text (showing some Byzantine/Majority features alongside unique readings).

Divine names: Theos (God), Kyrios (Lord).

Also consulted, but not counted in the consensus

Academic textual-historical analysis

At the narrative level, Mark 2 constructs a rapid sequence of conflict stories that pit Jesus against the scribes and Pharisees. The chapter moves through four distinct controversies: the healing of a paralyzed man coupled with the forgiveness of sins, the calling of Levi and subsequent table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners, a debate over fasting, and a dispute over plucking grain on the Sabbath. In its literary context, the passage functions to systematically demonstrate Jesus' authority over earthly institutions, specifically his prerogative to forgive sins, reinterpret social boundaries, and declare himself lord of the Sabbath, while simultaneously introducing the rising hostility of the religious elite.

Jewish interpretation

The narrative of this chapter consists of a sequence of controversy stories situated in Galilee. It details conflicts between Jesus and local religious figures, primarily scribes and Pharisees. Internally, the text focuses on distinct points of contention: the authority to forgive sins during a healing, eating with tax collectors and sinners, differing practices regarding fasting, and the permissibility of plucking grain on the Sabbath. The chapter structurally works to assert the authority of the central figure over these traditional religious and social domains.

Latter-day Saint

In Mark 2, Jesus's early Galilean ministry is marked by a series of controversies with religious leaders. He demonstrates his divine authority to forgive sins by healing a paralytic, challenges social boundaries by calling Levi and dining with tax collectors and sinners, explains his disciples' lack of fasting by comparing himself to a bridegroom, and uses parables of new cloth and new wine to show that his ministry cannot be contained in old structures. Finally, he defends his disciples for plucking grain on the Sabbath, declaring that the Sabbath was made for man and that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Jehovah's Witnesses

In this chapter, Jesus demonstrates his authority and clarifies his mission. By forgiving the sins of a paralytic and subsequently healing him, Jesus proves to skeptical scribes that the 'Son of Man' possesses authority on earth to forgive sins. He then calls Levi, a tax collector, and eats with sinners, explaining that he came as a physician for the spiritually sick. Through the illustrations of fasting, the unshrunk cloth, and the new wineskins, Jesus shows that his teachings are not meant to patch up or fit within the old, rigid system of Judaism. Finally, by defending his disciples' plucking of grain on the Sabbath, he establishes that human need supersedes man-made traditional rules, declaring himself 'Lord of the Sabbath.'

Translation choices the NCB made (83)

v1: some — Reflects the indefinite, colloquial passing of days accurately.
v2: so — Provides a direct expression of consecutive result for 'hōste'.
v2: even around — Captures the spatial proximity denoted by 'pros' in this context.
v2: was speaking — Translates the imperfect verb to convey ongoing action.
v3: And they come bringing — Preserves the Greek number shift from a collective plural action focusing on a singular paralyzed object.
v4: because of — Standard contemporary English expression of cause for 'dia'.
v4: crowd — Modern standard rendering for 'ochlon'.
v4: unroofed — Preserves the distinctive figura etymologica of the original text.
v4: paralytic was lying — Accurate to the imperfect verb and uses modern medical terminology.
v5: seeing — Retains the participial flow in English syntax.
v5: paralytic, Child — Adheres to the literal 'teknon' (child) while updating the medical term.
v5: are — Standard present passive declarative in modern English.
v6: reasoning — Maintains a distinct lexical choice for 'dialogizomenoi' which is repeated throughout the passage.
v7: He blasphemes — Renders the verb as a direct exclamation in critical texts.
v7: can — Natural English auxiliary for 'dunatai'.
v7: except one, God — Accurately maps the exact syntax 'ei mē heis ho theos'.
v7: God — Reflects the designated translation for Theos.
v8: spirit — Capitalized in lowercase to denote Jesus' own human mind/faculty as the locus of perception rather than the Holy Spirit.
v8: perceiving — Reflects the aorist participle 'epignous' functioning adverbially.
v8: were thus reasoning — Reflects present tense in indirect discourse appropriately mapped to past narrative in English.
v8: says to — Matches the historical present indicative 'legei'.
v9: Which — Modern interrogative pronoun.
v9: your mat — 'Krabatton' designates a poor man's simple bedroll or mat.
v10: Son of Man — Capitalizes the title to reflect its Christological elevation by Mark, a live academic reading.
v10: has authority — Accurately renders 'exousia' as right or jurisdiction.
v10: paralytic — Modern equivalent.
v11: to your — Contemporary phrasing.
v12: so — Contemporary and clear resultant conjunction.
v12: were amazed — Modern standard for 'existasthai'.
v12: them all — Fits the plural 'pantōn'.
v13: out — More modern directional adverb.
v13: by — The preposition 'para' with the accusative indicates along or by.
v13: was coming — Reflects the imperfect tense 'ērcheto' depicting progressive action.
v15: reclining at the table — Accurately translates 'katakeisthai' in a first-century dining context.
v15: tax collectors — Standard modern English rendering for 'telōnai'.
v15: tax collectors and sinners — Retains literal socio-religious markers, leaving the subversion vs covenantal boundaries debate, which is disputed among traditions, unresolved.
v15: were reclining together — Captures the prefixed verb 'sunanekeinto' directly.
v15: there — Standard English existential framework.
v15: and they — Follows the paratactic 'kai ōkolouthoun'.
v16: of the — Follows the NA28 critical text reading 'grammateis tōn Pharisaiōn'.
v17: Those who — Modern standard substantive grammar.
v17: healthy — Directly contrasts with sickness while using contemporary English.
v17: no — Follows the standard English idiom 'no need'.
v17: of a — Retains the literal genitive relation.
v17: sick — Traditional and clear equivalent to 'having it badly'.
v17: physician — Translates 'iatrou' literally, leaving the extent of its therapeutic vs juridical application, which is disputed among traditions, to interpretation.
v17: came — Translates the simple past aorist 'ēlthon'.
v17: the righteous — Appropriate substantive adjective for 'dikaious'.
v18: were fasting — Directly translates the imperfect periphrastic 'ēsan nēsteuontes'.
v18: come — Preserves the historical present verb 'erchontai'.
v18: say to — Retains literal 'legousin'.
v18: the disciples of John — Preserves the genitive pattern mirroring the Pharisees.
v18: but your — Proper contrast for the postpositive 'de'.
v18: do not fast — Standard modern English negative phrasing.
v19: said to — Matches the aorist 'eipen'.
v19: cannot — Dignified formal English.
v19: fast — Retains the simple verb 'nēsteuein', leaving its implication for perpetual vs occasional practice, which is disputed among traditions, open.
v20: will be — Modern auxiliary for future action.
v20: that day — Matches the singular 'en ekeinē tē hēmera'.
v21: patch — Accurate to 'epiblēma' and matches the cognate verb.
v21: unshrunk — Conveys 'agnaphou' accurately in the context of cloth mending.
v21: patches upon — Retains the Greek assonance/prefix repetition ('epiblēma epiraptei epi').
v22: one puts — Translates the indefinite negative pronoun 'oudeis'.
v22: wineskins; otherwise — Modern equivalent; 'askoi' refers specifically to skin vessels.
v22: will burst — Translates the future tense verb 'rhēxei'.
v22: wineskins — Specific and accurate to the historical object.
v22: perishes — Accurate to 'apollutai' and preserves the cognate construction with 'apolountai'.
v22: new wine — Renders 'oinon neon' literally, leaving the referent of the metaphor, which is disputed among traditions, open.
v22: new wineskins — Translates 'askous kainous' literally, leaving the ecclesiological vs anthropological debate, which is disputed among traditions, unresolved.
v23: make a way, plucking — Translates the idiom 'hodon poiein' literally.
v25: Did you — Modern past interrogative syntax.
v25: was hungry—he — Highlights the emphatic independent pronoun 'autos'.
v25: those who were — Contemporary relative clause phrasing.
v26: entered — The verb 'eisēlthen' specifically means to enter.
v26: the house of God — Matches the syntax 'ton oikon tou theou'.
v26: at the time of Abiathar the high priest — Correctly renders the preposition 'epi' followed by the genitive for a temporal span.
v26: it is — Supplies the English dummy subject required for 'ouk exestin'.
v26: except — Modern English rendering of 'ei mē'.
v26: those who — Modern English relative.
v27: for — Standard translation of 'dia' with the accusative here.
v27: for man — Retains 'dia ton anthrōpon', leaving the scope of the ordinance, which is disputed among traditions, textually open.
v28: Therefore — Natural English concluding conjunction for 'hōste'.
v28: Lord even of the Sabbath — Renders the title directly, leaving the justification for Sunday transition vs supersession, which is disputed among traditions, to theological interpretation.

Limits worth knowing

This is AI-generated and source-grounded, and it is approved by no community that holds these traditions.
The readings were produced in isolated calls that do not see one another. Isolation prevents anchoring; it does not make them independent witnesses.
The Nicene-Trinitarian boundary, and the decision not to seat non-denominational Evangelicalism separately (it is a cross-traditional movement already present within several voting profiles), are editorial choices.
The roster, the grouping into three families, and the rule that families (not seat counts) carry consensus all shape the result. A different roster would produce a different synthesis.
One profile cannot exhaust a tradition; the synthesis reflects what the profiles said, not everything the traditions hold.
The non-voting panels (Academic, Jewish) never vote; LDS and Jehovah's Witness readings are a comparative appendix only.
Any profiles excluded for this chapter after failing the audit are named on the page and removed from the eligible roster for it.
The rendering is unreviewed by any tradition, and every contested wording it settled is listed in Choices Made — where the text forced a decision, the decision is documented rather than hidden behind a claim of preserved ambiguity.

See the full step-by-step working → · AI-generated Jul 18, 2026, gemini-3.1-pro-preview (high thinking) — every stage, v4 spec + Addendum B (claim-audited, cross-stage-checked)