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One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, 1 great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.
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He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.
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Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, 2 its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
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When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
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“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”
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And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!
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A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
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When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me - I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.”
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For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.
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His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”
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And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.