Mark

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

MARK 1 [†]The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  a the Son of God. [1]

2[†] b As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, [2]

 c “Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way,

3  d the voice of one crying in the wilderness:

 e ‘Prepare [3] the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,’”

4[†] f John appeared, baptizing in  g the wilderness and proclaiming  h a baptism of  i repentance  j for the forgiveness of sins. 5[†]And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan,  k confessing their sins. 6[†]Now John was  l clothed with camel’s hair and  l wore a leather belt around his waist and ate  m locusts and  n wild honey. 7[†]And he preached, saying,  o “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 p I have baptized you with water, but  q he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Baptism of Jesus

9[†] r In those days Jesus  s came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10[†]And when he came up out of the water, immediately he  t saw  u the heavens being torn open  v and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11And  w a voice came from heaven,  x “You are my beloved Son; [4] with you I am well pleased.”

The Temptation of Jesus

12[†] y The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 y And he was in the wilderness forty days, being  z tempted by  a Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and  b the angels were ministering to him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

14[†] c Now after John was arrested, Jesus  d came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15and saying,  e “The time is fulfilled, and  f the kingdom of God is at hand;  g repent and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

16[†] h Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17[†]And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become  i fishers of men.” [5] 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20[†]And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit

21[†] j And they went into Capernaum, and immediately  k on the Sabbath  l he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22[†]And  m they were astonished at his teaching,  m for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23[†]And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 n “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?  o I know who you are— p the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus  q rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26[†]And the unclean spirit,  r convulsing him and  s crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27And they were all  t amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this?  u A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

Jesus Heals Many

29 v And immediately he [6]  w left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now  x Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31And he came and  y took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

32[†]That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or  z oppressed by demons. 33And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 a And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And  b he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

35[†] c And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and  d there he prayed. 36And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37[†]and they found him and said to him,  e “Everyone is looking for you.” 38And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for  f that is why I came out.” 39 g And  h he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

40[†] i And a leper [7] came to him, imploring him, and  j kneeling said to him,  k “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41[†]Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43And  l Jesus [8] sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44[†]and said to him,  m “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go,  n show yourself to the priest and  o offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded,  p for a proof to them.” 45[†] q But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter  r a town, but was out in  r desolate places, and  s people were coming to him from every quarter.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

MARK 2 [†]And when he returned to  t Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2[†]And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3[†] u And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4[†]And when they could not get near him because of the crowd,  v they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5[†]And when Jesus  w saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son,  x your sins are forgiven.” 6Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7“Why does this man speak like that?  y He is blaspheming!  z Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8[†]And immediately Jesus,  a perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9[†]Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10[†]But that you may know that  b the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and  c glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Jesus Calls Levi

13He went out again beside the sea, and  d all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14[†] e And as he passed by, he saw  f Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

15[†]And as he reclined at table in his house, many  g tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16And  h the scribes of [1] the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples,  g “Why does he eat [2] with tax collectors and sinners?” 17[†]And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  i I came not to call the righteous,  j but sinners.”

A Question About Fasting

18[†]Now  k John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him,  l “Why do John’s disciples and  m the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19[†]And Jesus said to them,  n “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 o The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and  p then they will fast in that day. 21[†]No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22And no one puts new wine into old  q wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.” [3]

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

23[†] r One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples  s began to pluck heads of grain. 24And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look,  t why are they doing  u what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25[†]And he said to them,  v “Have you never read  w what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26how he entered the house of God, in the time of [4]  x Abiathar the high priest, and ate  y the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27[†]And he said to them,  z “The Sabbath was made for man,  a not man for the Sabbath. 28So  b the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

MARK 3  c Again  d he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2[†]And  e they watched Jesus, [1] to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3[†]And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4And he said to them,  f “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5And he  g looked around at them with anger, grieved at  h their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  i He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6[†] j The Pharisees went out and immediately  j held counsel with  k the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

A Great Crowd Follows Jesus

7[†] l Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and  m a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8and Jerusalem and  n Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around  o Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9[†]And he told his disciples to  p have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they  q crush him, 10for  r he had healed many, so that all who had  s diseases pressed around him  t to touch him. 11[†] u And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they  v fell down before him and cried out, “You are  w the Son of God.” 12And  x he strictly ordered them not to make him known.

The Twelve Apostles

13[†] y And he went up on the mountain and called to him those  z whom he desired, and they came to him. 14[†] y And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 y and have authority to cast out demons. 16[†]He appointed the twelve:  a Simon (to whom  b he gave the name Peter); 17 c James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and  d Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, [2] 19[†]and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

20[†]Then he went  e home, and the crowd gathered again,  f so that they could not even eat. 21[†] g And when  h his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He  i is out of his mind.”

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

22[†]And  j the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying,  k “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23[†] l And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27But  m no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  n Then indeed he may plunder his house.

28 o “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29[†]but whoever  p blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

31 q And his mother and his  r brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers [3] are outside, seeking you.” 33And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34And  s looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35[†] t For whoever  u does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower

MARK 4 [†]Again  v he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him,  w so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2[†]And  x he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3[†]“Listen!  y Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6And  z when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root,  a it withered away. 7Other seed fell among  b thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8[†]And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and  c a hundredfold.” 9[†]And he said,  d “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

10[†]And  e when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11[†]And he said to them,  f “To you has been given  g the secret of the kingdom of God, but for  h those outside everything is in parables, 12[†] i so that

“they  j may indeed see but not perceive,

and may indeed hear but not understand,

lest they  k should turn and be forgiven.”

13[†] l And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14[†] m The sower sows  n the word. 15And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it  o with joy. 17And they have no root in themselves, but  p endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately  q they fall away. [1] 18And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19but  r the cares of  s the world and  t the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and  u bear fruit,  v thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

A Lamp Under a Basket

21[†] w And he said to them,  x “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 y For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23[†] z If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24[†]And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear:  a with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25[†] b For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

The Parable of the Seed Growing

26[†]And he said,  c “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows;  d he knows not how. 28The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29[†]But when the grain is ripe, at once  e he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30[†] f And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31It is like  g a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

33[†] h With many such parables he spoke  i the word to them,  j as they were able to hear it. 34[†]He did not speak to them  k without a parable, but  l privately to his own disciples he  m explained everything.

Jesus Calms a Storm

35[†] n On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36[†]And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37[†]And a great windstorm arose, and the waves  o were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38[†]But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39[†]And he awoke and  p rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and  q there was a great calm. 40[†]He said to them, “Why are you  r so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41[†]And they were filled with great fear and said to one another,  s “Who then is this, that even  t the wind and the sea obey him?”

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

MARK 5 [†] u They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. [1] 2And when Jesus [2] had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 v He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5[†]Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6[†]And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and  w fell down before him. 7And  x crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus,  y Son of  z the Most High God?  a I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 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  b Legion, for we are many.” 10And 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, 12and 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.

14The 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 [3] man, the one who had had  c the legion, sitting there,  d clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17And  e they began to beg Jesus [4] 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. 19And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and  f tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20And he went away and began to proclaim in  g 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[†] h Then came one of  i the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and  j lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24And he went with him.

And a great crowd followed him and  k thronged about him. 25[†]And there was a woman  l who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 m And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her  n disease. 30[†]And Jesus, perceiving in himself that  o 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?’” 32And he looked around to see who had done it. 33But 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,  p your faith has made you well;  p go in peace, and be healed of your  n disease.”

35[†]While he was still speaking, there came from  q the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why  r trouble  s the Teacher any further?” 36[†]But overhearing [5] what they said, Jesus said to  q the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37[†]And he allowed no one to follow him except  t Peter and James and  u John the brother of James. 38[†]They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus [6] saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39And when he had entered, he said to them,  v “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but  w sleeping.” 40And they laughed at him. But he  x 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[†] y Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you,  z 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  a he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

MARK 6 [†] b He went away from there and came to  c his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2And  d on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and  e 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[†] f Is not this  g the carpenter, the son of Mary and  h brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And  i they took offense at him. 4[†]And Jesus said to them,  j “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5[†]And  k he could do no mighty work there, except that  l he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6And  m he marveled because of their unbelief.

 n And he went about among the villages teaching.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

7[†] o 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— 9but to  p wear sandals and not put on two tunics. [1] 10And 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,  q shake off the dust that is on your feet  r as a testimony against them.” 12 s So they went out and  t proclaimed  u that people should repent. 13[†] t And they cast out many demons and  v anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

The Death of John the Baptist

14[†] w King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ [2] name had become known. Some [3] said,  x “John the Baptist [4] has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 x But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is  y a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17[†] z For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and  a bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18[†] z For John had been saying to Herod,  b “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, 20for Herod  c 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  d heard him gladly.

21[†]But an opportunity came when Herod  e on his birthday  f gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22For 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,  g up to half of my kingdom.” 24And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25And 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. 27And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s [5] head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29When his  h disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

30[†] i  j The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and  k they had no leisure even to eat. 32 l And they went away in  m the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33Now many saw them going and  n recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34[†]When he went ashore he  o saw a great crowd, and  o he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36[†] p Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37But he answered them,  q “You give them something to eat.” And  r they said to him,  s “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii [6] 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,  t “Five, and two fish.” 39[†]Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41[†]And taking the five loaves and the two fish he  u looked up to heaven and  v 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. 42And they all ate and were satisfied. 43[†]And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Jesus Walks on the Water

45[†] w Immediately he  x made his disciples get into  y the boat and go before him to the other side,  z to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46And after he had taken leave of them,  a he went up on the mountain to pray. 47And when  b 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  b the fourth watch of the night [7] he came to them, walking on the sea.  c 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, 50for they all saw him and  d were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said,  e “Take heart; it is I.  e Do not be afraid.” 51[†]And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52for  f they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts  g were hardened.

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

53[†] h When they had crossed over, they came to land at  i Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54[†]And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately  j recognized him 55and ran about the whole region and began to bring  k the sick people  l on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56[†]And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside,  m they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even  n the fringe of his garment. And  o as many as touched it were made well.

Traditions and Commandments

MARK 7 [†] p Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes  q who had come from Jerusalem, 2they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were  r defiled, that is, unwashed. 3(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, [1] holding to  s the tradition of  t the elders, 4and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. [2] And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as  u the washing of  v cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches. [3]) 5[†]And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to  s the tradition of  t the elders,  w but eat with  r defiled hands?” 6[†]And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you  x hypocrites, as it is written,

 y “‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

7 in vain do they worship me,

teaching as  z doctrines the commandments of men.’

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

9[†]And he said to them, “You have a fine way of  a rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10[†]For Moses said,  b ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and,  c ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11But 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) [4]— 12then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13thus  d making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

What Defiles a Person

14And he called the people to him again and said to them,  e “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15[†] f 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.” [5] 17[†]And when he had entered  g the house and left the people,  h his disciples asked him about the parable. 18And he said to them, “Then  i 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  j but his stomach, and is expelled?” [6] ( k Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20[†]And he said,  l “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft,  m murder, adultery, 22coveting, wickedness, deceit,  n sensuality,  o envy,  p slander,  q pride,  r foolishness. 23 s 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. [7] And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26[†] t Now the woman was a  u Gentile,  v 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  w fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and  x throw it to the dogs.” 28[†]But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s  y crumbs.” 29And he said to her, “For this statement you may  z go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

31[†] a Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to  b the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the  c Decapolis. 32And they brought to him  d a man who was deaf and  d had a speech impediment, and they begged him to  e lay his hand on him. 33[†]And  f taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and  f after spitting touched his tongue. 34[†]And  g looking up to heaven,  h he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 d And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36[†]And  i Jesus [8] charged them to tell no one. But  j the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37[†]And they were  k 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

MARK 8 [†] l 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[†] m “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3And 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,  n “Seven.” 6[†]And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and  o having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7And they had a few small fish. And  p having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8[†]And  q they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over,  n seven baskets full. 9And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10[†]And immediately he got into  r the boat with his disciples and went to the district of  s Dalmanutha. [1]

The Pharisees Demand a Sign

11[†] t The Pharisees came and began to argue with him,  u seeking from him  v a sign from heaven  w to test him. 12[†]And  x he sighed deeply  y 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  z 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. 15And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out;  a beware of  b the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of  c Herod.” [2] 16[†]And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17[†]And  d Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread?  e Do you not yet perceive  f or understand?  f Are your hearts hardened? 18 g Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19When I broke  h 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  i 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  j to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23[†]And  k he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when  k he had  l spit on his eyes and  m laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25Then Jesus [3] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26And he sent him to his home, saying,  n “Do not even enter the village.”

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

27[†] o 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?” 28And they told him,  p “John the Baptist; and others say,  q Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him,  r “You are  s the Christ.” 30 t And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

31[†] u And he began to teach them that  v the Son of Man must  w suffer many things and  x be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and  y after three days rise again. 32And he said this  z plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33[†]But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said,  a “Get behind me, Satan! For you  b 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  c deny himself and  d take up his cross and follow me. 35[†]For  d whoever would save his life [4] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake  e and the gospel’s will save it. 36 f For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37For  g what can a man give in return for his soul? 38[†]For  h whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this  i adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed  j when he comes in the glory of his Father with  k the holy angels.”

MARK 9 [†]And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not  l taste death  m until they see the kingdom of God after it has come  n with power.”

The Transfiguration

2[†] o And after six days Jesus took with him  p Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was  q transfigured before them, 3[†]and  r his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one [1] 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,  s “Rabbi, [2] it is good that we are here. Let us make three  t tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6For  u he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7[†]And  v a cloud overshadowed them, and  v a voice came out of the cloud,  w “This is my beloved Son; [3]  x listen to him.” 8And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

9[†] y And as they were coming down the mountain,  z he charged them to tell no one what they had seen,  a until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10[†] b So they kept the matter to themselves,  c questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say  d that first Elijah must come?” 12[†]And he said to them, “Elijah does come first  e to restore all things. And  f how is it written of the Son of Man that he should  g suffer many things and  h be treated with contempt? 13[†]But I tell you that Elijah has come, and  i they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

14 j And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him,  k were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has  l 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  m they were not able.” 19[†]And he answered them, “O  n faithless generation,  n how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it  o convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But  p if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23And Jesus said to him,  p “‘If you can’!  q All things are possible for one who believes.” 24Immediately the father of the child cried out [4] and said, “I believe;  r help my unbelief!” 25And when Jesus saw that  s a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it,  t “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26And after crying out and  o convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27But Jesus  u took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28[†]And when he had  v entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” [5]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

30[†] w They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31for 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,  x after three days he will rise.” 32[†] y But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

33[†]And  z they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house  a he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34[†]But they kept silent, for on the way  b 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,  c “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  d taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 e “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and  e whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

38 f John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone  g casting out demons in your name, [6] and  h we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39But 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. 40[†] i For the one who is not against us is for us. 41[†]For truly, I say to you,  j whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Temptations to Sin

42[†] k “Whoever causes one of  l these little ones who believe in me to sin, [7]  m it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43[†] n And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to  o hell, [8] to  p the unquenchable fire. [9] 45 q And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into  o hell. 47 r And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into  s hell, 48‘where  t their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49[†]For everyone will be salted with fire. [10] 50[†] v Salt is good,  w but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again?  x Have salt in yourselves, and  y be at peace with one another.”