Jesus Calls His First Disciples^(A)

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,^(B) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter^(C) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,”^(D) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.^(E)

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.^(F) They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.^(G)

Jesus Calls His First Disciples^(A)

5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,^[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.^{(B) 2} He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.^(C)

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”^(D)

⁵ Simon answered, “Master,^(E) we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.^(F) But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.^{(G) 7} So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”^{(H) 9} For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid;^(I) from now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.^(J)

The Twelve Apostles^(A)

¹² One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.^{(B) 13} When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:^{(C) 14} Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵ Matthew,^(D) Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶ Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Blessings and Woes^(E)

¹⁷ He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon,^{(F) 18} who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, ¹⁹ and the people all tried to touch him,^(G) because power was coming from him and healing them all.^(H)

²⁰ Looking at his disciples, he said: