The Healing of a Paralytic.ⁱ 17^* One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees^* and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing. 18And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set [him] in his presence. 19But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles^* into the middle in front of Jesus. 20When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.”^* 21Then the scribes^* and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?”^j 22Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts?^k 23Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24^{* l} But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 25He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. 26Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.”