Luke 5:1-13

¹One day, as Jesus was standing beside the Sea of Galilee, people crowded around him to hear the word of God.

²Jesus noticed two boats lying on the shore, left there by fishermen who were washing their nets.

³Jesus got into a boat, the one that belonged to Simon, and asked him to push it out into the water, just offshore. Then Jesus sat down in the boat and taught the people from there.

⁴After he'd finished speaking, he told Simon, “Go out into deeper water, and let down your nets for a catch.”

⁵“Lord, we worked hard all night, and didn't catch anything. But if you say so, I'll let down the nets,” Simon replied.

⁶Having done this, a large shoal of fish filled the nets full to breaking point.

⁷They waved to their partners in the other boat, asking them to come over and help. The others came over and together they filled both of the boats with fish. The boats were so full that they began to sink.

⁸When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he dropped to his knees before Jesus. “Lord, please stay away from me, for I am a sinful man!” he exclaimed.

⁹For he and everybody with him were completely amazed by the catch of fish that they had landed.

¹⁰James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners, felt the same way. “Don't be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you'll be fishing for people!”

¹¹So they dragged the boats onto the shore, left everything, and followed Jesus.

¹²Once when Jesus was visiting one of the towns, he met a man there who had a very bad case of leprosy. The man fell with his face to the ground and begged Jesus, “Please Lord, if you're willing, you can make me clean.”

¹³Jesus reached out and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy disappeared.