Mark 5:8-9:39

English Standard Version

⁸ For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” ⁹ And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is ^(A)Legion, for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. ¹¹ Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, ¹² and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” ¹³ So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

¹⁴ The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed^[a] man, the one who had had ^(B)the legion, sitting there, ^(C)clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ¹⁶ And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. ¹⁷ And ^(D)they began to beg Jesus^[b] to depart from their region. ¹⁸ As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. ¹⁹ And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and ^(E)tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ And he went away and began to proclaim in ^(F)the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus's Daughter

²¹ And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. ^22 (G)Then came one of ^(H)the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet ²³ and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and ^(I)lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” ²⁴ And he went with him.

And a great crowd followed him and ^(J)thronged about him. ²⁵ And there was a woman ^(K)who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. ²⁷ She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” ^29 (L)And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her ^(M)disease. ³⁰ And Jesus, perceiving in himself that ^(N)power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” ³¹ And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” ³² And he looked around to see who had done it. ³³ But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ And he said to her, “Daughter, ^(O)your faith has made you well; ^(P)go in peace, and be healed of your ^(Q)disease.”

³⁵ While he was still speaking, there came from ^(R)the ruler's house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why ^(S)trouble ^(T)the Teacher any further?” ³⁶ But overhearing^[c] what they said, Jesus said to ^(U)the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” ³⁷ And he allowed no one to follow him except ^(V)Peter and James and ^(W)John the brother of James. ³⁸ They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus^[d] saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ And when he had entered, he said to them, ^(X)“Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but ^(Y)sleeping.” ⁴⁰ And they laughed at him. But he ^(Z)put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. ^41 (AA)Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, ^(AB)arise.” ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. ⁴³ And ^(AC)he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

6 ^(AD)He went away from there and came to ^(AE)his hometown, and his disciples followed him. ² And ^(AF)on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and ^(AG)many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? ^3 (AH)Is not this ^(AI)the carpenter, the son of Mary and ^(AJ)brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And ^(AK)they took offense at him. ⁴ And Jesus said to them, ^(AL)“A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” ⁵ And ^(AM)he could do no mighty work there, except that ^(AN)he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And ^(AO)he marveled because of their unbelief.

^(AP)And he went about among the villages teaching.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

^7 (AQ)And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸ He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— ⁹ but to ^(AR)wear sandals and not put on two tunics.^{[e] 10} And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. ¹¹ And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, ^(AS)shake off the dust that is on your feet ^(AT)as a testimony against them.” ^12 (AU)So they went out and ^(AV)proclaimed ^(AW)that people should repent. ^13 (AX)And they cast out many demons and ^(AY)anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

The Death of John the Baptist

^14 (AZ)King Herod heard of it, for Jesus'^[f] name had become known. Some^[g] said, ^(BA)“John the Baptist^[h] has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” ^15 (BB)But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is ^(BC)a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” ^17 (BD)For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and ^(BE)bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. ^18 (BF)For John had been saying to Herod, ^(BG)“It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” ¹⁹ And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, ²⁰ for Herod ^(BH)feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he ^(BI)heard him gladly.

²¹ But an opportunity came when Herod ^(BJ)on his birthday ^(BK)gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. ²² For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” ²³ And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, ^(BL)up to half of my kingdom.” ²⁴ And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” ²⁵ And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” ²⁶ And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. ²⁷ And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's^[i] head. He went and beheaded him in the prison ²⁸ and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When his ^(BM)disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

^30 (BN)(BO)The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and ^(BP)they had no leisure even to eat. ^32 (BQ)And they went away in ^(BR)the boat to a desolate place by themselves. ³³ Now many saw them going and ^(BS)recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. ³⁴ When he went ashore he ^(BT)saw a great crowd, and ^(BU)he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. ³⁵ And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. ^36 (BV)Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” ³⁷ But he answered them, ^(BW)“You give them something to eat.” And ^(BX)they said to him, ^(BY)“Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii^[j] worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” ³⁸ And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, ^(BZ)“Five, and two fish.” ³⁹ Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. ⁴¹ And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he ^(CA)looked up to heaven and ^(CB)said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² And they all ate and were satisfied. ⁴³ And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. ⁴⁴ And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Jesus Walks on the Water

^45 (CC)Immediately he ^(CD)made his disciples get into ^(CE)the boat and go before him to the other side, ^(CF)to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ And after he had taken leave of them, ^(CG)he went up on the mountain to pray. ⁴⁷ And when ^(CH)evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about ^(CI)the fourth watch of the night^[k] he came to them, walking on the sea. ^(CJ)He meant to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, ⁵⁰ for they all saw him and ^(CK)were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ^(CL)“Take heart; it is I. ^(CM)Do not be afraid.” ⁵¹ And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, ⁵² for ^(CN)they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts ^(CO)were hardened.

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

^53 (CP)When they had crossed over, they came to land at ^(CQ)Gennesaret and moored to the shore. ⁵⁴ And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately ^(CR)recognized him ⁵⁵ and ran about the whole region and began to bring ^(CS)the sick people ^(CT)on their beds to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶ And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, ^(CU)they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even ^(CV)the fringe of his garment. And ^(CW)as many as touched it were made well.

Traditions and Commandments

7 ^(CX)Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes ^(CY)who had come from Jerusalem, ² they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were ^(CZ)defiled, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly,^[l] holding to ^(DA)the tradition of ^(DB)the elders, ⁴ and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.^[m] And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as ^(DC)the washing of ^(DD)cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.^[n]) ⁵ And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to ^(DE)the tradition of ^(DF)the elders, ^(DG)but eat with ^(DH)defiled hands?” ⁶ And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ^(DI)hypocrites, as it is written,

⁸ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

⁹ And he said to them, “You have a fine way of ^(DL)rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! ¹⁰ For Moses said, ^(DM)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ^(DN)‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ ¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)^[o]— ¹² then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, ¹³ thus ^(DO)making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

What Defiles a Person

¹⁴ And he called the people to him again and said to them, ^(DP)“Hear me, all of you, and understand: ^15 (DQ)There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”^{[p] 17} And when he had entered ^(DR)the house and left the people, ^(DS)his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸ And he said to them, “Then ^(DT)are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ since it enters not his heart ^(DU)but his stomach, and is expelled?”^[q] (^(DV)Thus he declared all foods clean.) ²⁰ And he said, ^(DW)“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, ^(DX)murder, adultery, ²² coveting, wickedness, deceit, ^(DY)sensuality, ^(DZ)envy, ^(EA)slander, ^(EB)pride, ^(EC)foolishness. ^23 (ED)All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

The Syrophoenician Woman's Faith

²⁴ And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.^[r] And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. ²⁵ But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. ^26 (EE)Now the woman was a ^(EF)Gentile, ^(EG)a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ And he said to her, “Let the children be ^(EH)fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and ^(EI)throw it to the dogs.” ²⁸ But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's ^(EJ)crumbs.” ²⁹ And he said to her, “For this statement you may ^(EK)go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰ And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

^31 (EL)Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to ^(EM)the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the ^(EN)Decapolis. ³² And they brought to him ^(EO)a man who was deaf and ^(EP)had a speech impediment, and they begged him to ^(EQ)lay his hand on him. ³³ And ^(ER)taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and ^(ES)after spitting touched his tongue. ³⁴ And ^(ET)looking up to heaven, ^(EU)he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” ^35 (EV)And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶ And ^(EW)Jesus^[s] charged them to tell no one. But ^(EX)the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ³⁷ And they were ^(EY)astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

8 ^(EZ)In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, ^2 (FA)“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. ³ And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” ⁴ And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” ⁵ And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, ^(FB)“Seven.” ⁶ And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and ^(FC)having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. ⁷ And they had a few small fish. And ^(FD)having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. ⁸ And ^(FE)they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, ^(FF)seven baskets full. ⁹ And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. ¹⁰ And immediately he got into ^(FG)the boat with his disciples and went to the district of ^(FH)Dalmanutha.^[t]

The Pharisees Demand a Sign

^11 (FI)The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, ^(FJ)seeking from him ^(FK)a sign from heaven ^(FL)to test him. ¹² And ^(FM)he sighed deeply ^(FN)in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” ¹³ And ^(FO)he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod

¹⁴ Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵ And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; ^(FP)beware of ^(FQ)the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of ^(FR)Herod.”^{[u] 16} And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. ¹⁷ And ^(FS)Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? ^(FT)Do you not yet perceive ^(FU)or understand? ^(FV)Are your hearts hardened? ^18 (FW)Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? ¹⁹ When I broke ^(FX)the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” ²⁰ “And ^(FY)the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” ²¹ And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

²² And they came ^(FZ)to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. ²³ And ^(GA)he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when ^(GB)he had ^(GC)spit on his eyes and ^(GD)laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” ²⁵ Then Jesus^[v] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ And he sent him to his home, saying, ^(GE)“Do not even enter the village.”

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

^27 (GF)And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ And they told him, ^(GG)“John the Baptist; and others say, ^(GH)Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, ^(GI)“You are ^(GJ)the Christ.” ^30 (GK)And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

^31 (GL)And he began to teach them that ^(GM)the Son of Man must ^(GN)suffer many things and ^(GO)be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and ^(GP)after three days rise again. ³² And he said this ^(GQ)plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³ But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ^(GR)“Get behind me, Satan! For you ^(GS)are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

³⁴ And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^(GT)deny himself and ^(GU)take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵ For ^(GV)whoever would save his life^[w] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake ^(GW)and the gospel's will save it. ^36 (GX)For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? ³⁷ For ^(GY)what can a man give in return for his soul? ³⁸ For ^(GZ)whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this ^(HA)adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed ^(HB)when he comes in the glory of his Father with ^(HC)the holy angels.”

9 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ^(HD)taste death ^(HE)until they see the kingdom of God after it has come ^(HF)with power.”

The Transfiguration

^2 (HG)And after six days Jesus took with him ^(HH)Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was ^(HI)transfigured before them, ³ and ^(HJ)his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one^[x] on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, ^(HK)“Rabbi,^[y] it is good that we are here. Let us make three ^(HL)tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ For ^(HM)he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷ And ^(HN)a cloud overshadowed them, and ^(HO)a voice came out of the cloud, ^(HP)“This is my beloved Son;^{[z] (HQ)}listen to him.” ⁸ And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

^9 (HR)And as they were coming down the mountain, ^(HS)he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, ^(HT)until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ^10 (HU)So they kept the matter to themselves, ^(HV)questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. ¹¹ And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say ^(HW)that first Elijah must come?” ¹² And he said to them, “Elijah does come first ^(HX)to restore all things. And ^(HY)how is it written of the Son of Man that he should ^(HZ)suffer many things and ^(IA)be treated with contempt? ¹³ But I tell you that Elijah has come, and ^(IB)they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

^14 (IC)And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, ^(ID)were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. ¹⁶ And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” ¹⁷ And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has ^(IE)a spirit that makes him mute. ¹⁸ And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and ^(IF)they were not able.” ¹⁹ And he answered them, “O ^(IG)faithless generation, ^(IH)how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰ And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it ^(II)convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²² And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But ^(IJ)if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” ²³ And Jesus said to him, ^(IK)“‘If you can’! ^(IL)All things are possible for one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out^[aa] and said, “I believe; ^(IM)help my unbelief!” ²⁵ And when Jesus saw that ^(IN)a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ^(IO)“You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” ²⁶ And after crying out and ^(IP)convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus ^(IQ)took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. ²⁸ And when he had ^(IR)entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”^[ab]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

^30 (IS)They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, ³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, ^(IT)after three days he will rise.” ^32 (IU)But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

³³ And ^(IV)they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house ^(IW)he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, for on the way ^(IX)they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵ And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ^(IY)“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and ^(IZ)taking him in his arms, he said to them, ^37 (JA)“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and ^(JB)whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

^38 (JC)John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone ^(JD)casting out demons in your name,^[ac] and ^(JE)we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.