2 And look! they were bringing him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. On seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic: “Take courage, child! Your sins are forgiven.”+

3 And they brought him a paralytic carried by four men.+ 4 But they could not bring him right to Jesus because of the crowd, so they removed the roof above Jesus, and after digging an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith,+ he said to the paralytic: “Child, your sins are forgiven.”+ 6 Now some of the scribes were there, sitting and reasoning in their hearts:+ 7 “Why is this man talking this way? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins except one, God?”+ 8 But immediately Jesus discerned by his spirit that they were reasoning that way among themselves, so he said to them: “Why are you reasoning these things in your hearts?+ 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and pick up your stretcher and walk’? 10 But in order for you to know that the Son of man+ has authority to forgive sins on earth—”+ he said to the paralytic: 11 “I say to you, Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go to your home.” 12 At that he got up and immediately picked up his stretcher and walked out in front of them all. So they were all astonished, and they glorified God, saying: “We have never seen anything like this.”+