The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

12 And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.

34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?

27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,

And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.

10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.

11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.

13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;

17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:

18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?

24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:

29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.

32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.

33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?

34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

14 The sower soweth the word.

15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?

31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:

32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.

34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.

17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.

19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.

20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.

22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a] the Son of God,[b](B) as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”[c](C)
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”[d](D)

And so John the Baptist(E) appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance(F) for the forgiveness of sins.(G) The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist,(H) and he ate locusts(I) and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.(J) I baptize you with[e] water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.”(K)

The Baptism and Testing of Jesus(L)(M)

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth(N) in Galilee and was baptized by John(O) in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.(P) 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son,(Q) whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”(R)

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days,(S) being tempted[g] by Satan.(T) He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Jesus Announces the Good News(U)

14 After John(V) was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,(W) proclaiming the good news of God.(X) 15 “The time has come,”(Y) he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe(Z) the good news!”(AA)

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.(AB)

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit(AC)

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.(AD) 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.(AE) 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us,(AF) Jesus of Nazareth?(AG) Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”(AH)

25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”(AI) 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.(AJ)

27 The people were all so amazed(AK) that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region(AL) of Galilee.

Jesus Heals Many(AM)(AN)

29 As soon as they left the synagogue,(AO) they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up.(AP) The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.(AQ) 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.(AR) He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.(AS)

Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place(AT)

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.(AU) 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”(AV) 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues(AW) and driving out demons.(AX)

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy(AY)

40 A man with leprosy[h] came to him and begged him on his knees,(AZ) “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41 Jesus was indignant.[i] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone.(BA) But go, show yourself to the priest(BB) and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing,(BC) as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.(BD) Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.(BE)

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man(BF)

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers(BG) that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man,(BH) carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”(BI)

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”(BJ)

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man(BK) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God,(BL) saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”(BM)

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners(BN)

13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him,(BO) and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,”(BP) Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees(BQ) saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”(BR)

17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”(BS)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting(BT)

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.(BU) Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them,(BV) and on that day they will fast.

21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath(BW)(BX)

23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.(BY) 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”(BZ)

25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest,(CA) he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat.(CB) And he also gave some to his companions.”(CC)

27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man,(CD) not man for the Sabbath.(CE) 28 So the Son of Man(CF) is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue,(CG) and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely(CH) to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.(CI) Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians(CJ) how they might kill Jesus.(CK)

Crowds Follow Jesus(CL)

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.(CM) When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.(CN) Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many,(CO) so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.(CP) 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”(CQ) 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.(CR)

Jesus Appoints the Twelve(CS)

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.(CT) 14 He appointed twelve[j](CU) that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.(CV) 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter),(CW) 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law(CX)(CY)

20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered,(CZ) so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.(DA) 21 When his family[k] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”(DB)

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem(DC) said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul!(DD) By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”(DE)

23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables:(DF) “How can Satan(DG) drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.(DH) 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”(DI)

30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived.(DJ) Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower(DK)(DL)

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.(DM) The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables,(DN) and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.(DO) As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”(DP)

Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”(DQ)

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God(DR) has been given to you. But to those on the outside(DS) everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[l](DT)

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word.(DU) 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan(DV) comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth(DW) and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

A Lamp on a Stand

21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?(DX) 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.(DY) 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”(DZ)

24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.(EA) 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”(EB)

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.(EC) A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”(ED)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed(EE)

30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,(EF) or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.(EG) 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable.(EH) But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Jesus Calms the Storm(EI)

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.(EJ) There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”(EK)

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man(EL)(EM)

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.[m] When Jesus got out of the boat,(EN) a man with an impure spirit(EO) came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me,(EP) Jesus, Son of the Most High God?(EQ) In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,”(ER) he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion(ES) of demons,(ET) sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them(EU) how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis[n](EV) how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman(EW)

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake,(EX) a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.(EY) 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders,(EZ) named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on(FA) her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding(FB) for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes,(FC) I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.(FD)

30 At once Jesus realized that power(FE) had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.(FF) Go in peace(FG) and be freed from your suffering.”

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader.(FH) “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

36 Overhearing[o] what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.(FI) 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader,(FJ) Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.”(FK) 40 But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand(FL) and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).(FM) 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this,(FN) and told them to give her something to eat.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One.
  2. Mark 1:1 Some manuscripts do not have the Son of God.
  3. Mark 1:2 Mal. 3:1
  4. Mark 1:3 Isaiah 40:3
  5. Mark 1:8 Or in
  6. Mark 1:8 Or in
  7. Mark 1:13 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested.
  8. Mark 1:40 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  9. Mark 1:41 Many manuscripts Jesus was filled with compassion
  10. Mark 3:14 Some manuscripts twelve—designating them apostles—
  11. Mark 3:21 Or his associates
  12. Mark 4:12 Isaiah 6:9,10
  13. Mark 5:1 Some manuscripts Gadarenes; other manuscripts Gergesenes
  14. Mark 5:20 That is, the Ten Cities
  15. Mark 5:36 Or Ignoring

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)

The (B)beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, (C)the Son of God. As it is written in [a]the Prophets:

(D)“Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.”
“The(E) voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”

(F)John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance [b]for the remission of sins. (G)Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

Now John was (H)clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, (I)“There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. (J)I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you (K)with the Holy Spirit.”

John Baptizes Jesus(L)

(M)It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 (N)And immediately, coming up [c]from the water, He saw the heavens [d]parting and the Spirit (O)descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, (P)“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Satan Tempts Jesus(Q)

12 (R)Immediately the Spirit [e]drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; (S)and the angels ministered to Him.

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry(T)

14 (U)Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, (V)preaching the gospel [f]of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, (W)“The time is fulfilled, and (X)the kingdom of God [g]is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples(Y)

16 (Z)And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become (AA)fishers of men.” 18 (AB)They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit(AC)

21 (AD)Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the (AE)synagogue and taught. 22 (AF)And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an (AG)unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, “Let us alone! (AH)What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I (AI)know who You are—the (AJ)Holy One of God!”

25 But Jesus (AK)rebuked him, saying, [h]“Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 And when the unclean spirit (AL)had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, [i]“What is this? What new [j]doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” 28 And immediately His (AM)fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed(AN)

29 (AO)Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset(AP)

32 (AQ)At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and (AR)cast out many demons; and He (AS)did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Preaching in Galilee(AT)

35 Now (AU)in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a [k]solitary place; and there He (AV)prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, (AW)“Everyone (AX)is looking for You.”

38 But He said to them, (AY)“Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because (AZ)for this purpose I have come forth.”

39 (BA)And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and (BB)casting out demons.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper(BC)

40 (BD)Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

41 Then Jesus, moved with (BE)compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, (BF)immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things (BG)which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

45 (BH)However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; (BI)and they came to Him from every direction.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic(BJ)

And again (BK)He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. [l]Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a (BL)paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? (BM)Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? (BN)Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has [m]power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and (BO)glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Matthew the Tax Collector(BP)

13 (BQ)Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. 14 (BR)As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, (BS)“Follow Me.” So he arose and (BT)followed Him.

15 (BU)Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 16 And when the scribes [n]and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, (BV)“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, [o]to repentance.”

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting(BW)

18 (BX)The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the [p]friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be (BY)taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath(BZ)

23 (CA)Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began (CB)to pluck the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is (CC)not lawful on the Sabbath?”

25 But He said to them, “Have you never read (CD)what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, (CE)which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”

27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the (CF)Sabbath. 28 Therefore (CG)the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Healing on the Sabbath(CH)

And (CI)He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they (CJ)watched Him closely, whether He would (CK)heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might [q]accuse Him. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, [r]“Step forward.” Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the (CL)hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored [s]as whole as the other. (CM)Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with (CN)the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

A Great Multitude Follows Jesus(CO)

But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, (CP)and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how (CQ)many things He was doing, came to Him. So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. 10 For He healed (CR)many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to (CS)touch Him. 11 (CT)And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, (CU)“You are the Son of God.” 12 But (CV)He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

The Twelve Apostles(CW)

13 (CX)And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, [t]that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have [u]power [v]to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16 [w]Simon, (CY)to whom He gave the name Peter; 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

A House Divided Cannot Stand(CZ)

20 Then the multitude came together again, (DA)so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His (DB)own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, (DC)for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, (DD)“He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the (DE)ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”

23 (DF)So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 (DG)No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.

The Unpardonable Sin(DH)

28 (DI)“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” 30 because they (DJ)said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him(DK)

31 (DL)Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers [x]are outside seeking You.”

33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the (DM)will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower(DN)

And (DO)again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. Then He taught them many things by parables, (DP)and said to them in His teaching:

“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds [y]of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no [z]crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

And He said [aa]to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables(DQ)

10 (DR)But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to (DS)know the [ab]mystery of the kingdom of God; but to (DT)those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that

(DU)‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.’

The Parable of the Sower Explained(DV)

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 (DW)The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the (DX)cares of this world, (DY)the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, [ac]accept it, and bear (DZ)fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Light Under a Basket(EA)

21 (EB)Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 (EC)For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 (ED)If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. (EE)With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 (EF)For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 And He said, (EG)“The kingdom of God is as if a man should [ad]scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and (EH)grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth (EI)yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately (EJ)he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed(EK)

30 Then He said, (EL)“To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Jesus’ Use of Parables

33 (EM)And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, (EN)He explained all things to His disciples.

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus(EO)

35 (EP)On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, (EQ)“Teacher, (ER)do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and (ES)rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, (ET)“Peace,[ae] be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? (EU)How[af] is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

A Demon-Possessed Man Healed(EV)

Then (EW)they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the [ag]Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an (EX)unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind [ah]him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I (EY)implore[ai] You by God that You do not torment me.”

For He said to him, (EZ)“Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Then He asked him, “What is your name?”

And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

11 Now a large herd of (FA)swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And [aj]at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been (FB)demon-possessed and had the legion, (FC)sitting and (FD)clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17 Then (FE)they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.

18 And when He got into the boat, (FF)he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to (FG)proclaim in [ak]Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all (FH)marveled.

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed(FI)

21 (FJ)Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 (FK)And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and (FL)lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

25 Now a certain woman (FM)had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and (FN)touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the [al]affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that (FO)power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’

32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, (FP)fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, (FQ)your faith has made you well. (FR)Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

35 (FS)While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only (FT)believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw [am]a tumult and those who (FU)wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but (FV)sleeping.”

40 And they ridiculed Him. (FW)But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. 41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were (FX)overcome with great amazement. 43 But (FY)He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:2 NU Isaiah the prophet
  2. Mark 1:4 Or because of forgiveness
  3. Mark 1:10 NU out of
  4. Mark 1:10 torn open
  5. Mark 1:12 sent Him out
  6. Mark 1:14 NU omits of the kingdom
  7. Mark 1:15 has drawn near
  8. Mark 1:25 Lit. Be muzzled
  9. Mark 1:27 NU What is this? A new doctrine with authority! He
  10. Mark 1:27 teaching
  11. Mark 1:35 deserted
  12. Mark 2:2 NU omits Immediately
  13. Mark 2:10 authority
  14. Mark 2:16 NU of the
  15. Mark 2:17 NU omits to repentance
  16. Mark 2:19 Lit. sons of the bridechamber
  17. Mark 3:2 bring charges against
  18. Mark 3:3 Lit. Arise into the midst
  19. Mark 3:5 NU omits as whole as the other
  20. Mark 3:14 NU adds whom He also named apostles
  21. Mark 3:15 authority
  22. Mark 3:15 NU omits to heal sicknesses and
  23. Mark 3:16 NU and He appointed the twelve: Simon . . .
  24. Mark 3:32 NU, M add and Your sisters
  25. Mark 4:4 NU, M omit of the air
  26. Mark 4:7 Lit. fruit
  27. Mark 4:9 NU, M omit to them
  28. Mark 4:11 secret or hidden truths
  29. Mark 4:20 receive
  30. Mark 4:26 sow
  31. Mark 4:39 Lit. Be quiet
  32. Mark 4:40 NU Have you still no faith?
  33. Mark 5:1 NU Gerasenes
  34. Mark 5:3 NU adds anymore
  35. Mark 5:7 adjure
  36. Mark 5:13 NU He gave
  37. Mark 5:20 Lit. Ten Cities
  38. Mark 5:29 suffering
  39. Mark 5:38 an uproar

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:

23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

24 Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:

25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:

26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.

28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.

30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.

31 And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.

Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:

Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:

And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.

10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty.

11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

12 For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

13 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,

15 And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,

16 And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.

19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;

21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of ?

For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water.

The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:

In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.

14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.

16 Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.

18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,

20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,

21 The rings, and nose jewels,

22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,

23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.

26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.

13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

16 But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

17 Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25 Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

12 And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.

Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;

And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,

Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:

Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.

For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.

And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.

10 Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,

11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.

13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

17 The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.

20 In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep;

22 And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.

23 And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.

24 With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns.

25 And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.

Moreover the Lord said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.

And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.

For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

The Lord spake also unto me again, saying,

Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;

Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:

And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.

10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.

11 For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

17 And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

The vision(A) concerning Judah and Jerusalem(B) that Isaiah son of Amoz saw(C) during the reigns of Uzziah,(D) Jotham,(E) Ahaz(F) and Hezekiah,(G) kings of Judah.

A Rebellious Nation

Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!(H)
    For the Lord has spoken:(I)
“I reared children(J) and brought them up,
    but they have rebelled(K) against me.
The ox knows(L) its master,
    the donkey its owner’s manger,(M)
but Israel does not know,(N)
    my people do not understand.(O)

Woe to the sinful nation,
    a people whose guilt is great,(P)
a brood of evildoers,(Q)
    children given to corruption!(R)
They have forsaken(S) the Lord;
    they have spurned the Holy One(T) of Israel
    and turned their backs(U) on him.

Why should you be beaten(V) anymore?
    Why do you persist(W) in rebellion?(X)
Your whole head is injured,
    your whole heart(Y) afflicted.(Z)
From the sole of your foot to the top of your head(AA)
    there is no soundness(AB)
only wounds and welts(AC)
    and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged(AD)
    or soothed with olive oil.(AE)

Your country is desolate,(AF)
    your cities burned with fire;(AG)
your fields are being stripped by foreigners(AH)
    right before you,
    laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.(AI)
Daughter Zion(AJ) is left(AK)
    like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut(AL) in a cucumber field,
    like a city under siege.
Unless the Lord Almighty
    had left us some survivors,(AM)
we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.(AN)

10 Hear the word of the Lord,(AO)
    you rulers of Sodom;(AP)
listen to the instruction(AQ) of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!(AR)
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
    what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
    of rams and the fat of fattened animals;(AS)
I have no pleasure(AT)
    in the blood of bulls(AU) and lambs and goats.(AV)
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who has asked this of you,(AW)
    this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!(AX)
    Your incense(AY) is detestable(AZ) to me.
New Moons,(BA) Sabbaths and convocations(BB)
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon(BC) feasts and your appointed festivals(BD)
    I hate with all my being.(BE)
They have become a burden to me;(BF)
    I am weary(BG) of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands(BH) in prayer,
    I hide(BI) my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.(BJ)

Your hands(BK) are full of blood!(BL)

16 Wash(BM) and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;(BN)
    stop doing wrong.(BO)
17 Learn to do right;(BP) seek justice.(BQ)
    Defend the oppressed.[a](BR)
Take up the cause of the fatherless;(BS)
    plead the case of the widow.(BT)

18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”(BU)
    says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;(BV)
though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.(BW)
19 If you are willing and obedient,(BX)
    you will eat the good things of the land;(BY)
20 but if you resist and rebel,(BZ)
    you will be devoured by the sword.”(CA)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(CB)

21 See how the faithful city
    has become a prostitute!(CC)
She once was full of justice;
    righteousness(CD) used to dwell in her—
    but now murderers!(CE)
22 Your silver has become dross,(CF)
    your choice wine is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,(CG)
    partners with thieves;(CH)
they all love bribes(CI)
    and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
    the widow’s case does not come before them.(CJ)

24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    the Mighty One(CK) of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
    and avenge(CL) myself on my enemies.(CM)
25 I will turn my hand against you;[b](CN)
    I will thoroughly purge(CO) away your dross(CP)
    and remove all your impurities.(CQ)
26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,(CR)
    your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called(CS)
    the City of Righteousness,(CT)
    the Faithful City.(CU)

27 Zion will be delivered with justice,
    her penitent(CV) ones with righteousness.(CW)
28 But rebels and sinners(CX) will both be broken,
    and those who forsake(CY) the Lord will perish.(CZ)

29 “You will be ashamed(DA) because of the sacred oaks(DB)
    in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens(DC)
    that you have chosen.
30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves,(DD)
    like a garden without water.
31 The mighty man will become tinder
    and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
    with no one to quench the fire.(DE)

The Mountain of the Lord(DF)

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:(DG)

In the last days(DH)

the mountain(DI) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;(DJ)
it will be exalted(DK) above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.(DL)

Many peoples(DM) will come and say,

“Come, let us go(DN) up to the mountain(DO) of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(DP) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.(DQ)
He will judge(DR) between the nations
    and will settle disputes(DS) for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.(DT)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,(DU)
    nor will they train for war anymore.

Come, descendants of Jacob,(DV)
    let us walk in the light(DW) of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord

You, Lord, have abandoned(DX) your people,
    the descendants of Jacob.(DY)
They are full of superstitions from the East;
    they practice divination(DZ) like the Philistines(EA)
    and embrace(EB) pagan customs.(EC)
Their land is full of silver and gold;(ED)
    there is no end to their treasures.(EE)
Their land is full of horses;(EF)
    there is no end to their chariots.(EG)
Their land is full of idols;(EH)
    they bow down(EI) to the work of their hands,(EJ)
    to what their fingers(EK) have made.
So people will be brought low(EL)
    and everyone humbled(EM)
    do not forgive them.[c](EN)

10 Go into the rocks, hide(EO) in the ground
    from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty!(EP)
11 The eyes of the arrogant(EQ) will be humbled(ER)
    and human pride(ES) brought low;(ET)
the Lord alone will be exalted(EU) in that day.(EV)

12 The Lord Almighty has a day(EW) in store
    for all the proud(EX) and lofty,(EY)
for all that is exalted(EZ)
    (and they will be humbled),(FA)
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,(FB) tall and lofty,(FC)
    and all the oaks of Bashan,(FD)
14 for all the towering mountains
    and all the high hills,(FE)
15 for every lofty tower(FF)
    and every fortified wall,(FG)
16 for every trading ship[d](FH)
    and every stately vessel.
17 The arrogance of man will be brought low(FI)
    and human pride humbled;(FJ)
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,(FK)
18     and the idols(FL) will totally disappear.(FM)

19 People will flee to caves(FN) in the rocks
    and to holes in the ground(FO)
from the fearful presence(FP) of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,(FQ)
    when he rises to shake the earth.(FR)
20 In that day(FS) people will throw away
    to the moles and bats(FT)
their idols of silver and idols of gold,(FU)
    which they made to worship.(FV)
21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks(FW)
    and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,(FX)
    when he rises(FY) to shake the earth.(FZ)

22 Stop trusting in mere humans,(GA)
    who have but a breath(GB) in their nostrils.
    Why hold them in esteem?(GC)

Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

See now, the Lord,
    the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
    both supply and support:(GD)
all supplies of food(GE) and all supplies of water,(GF)
    the hero and the warrior,(GG)
the judge and the prophet,
    the diviner(GH) and the elder,(GI)
the captain of fifty(GJ) and the man of rank,(GK)
    the counselor, skilled craftsman(GL) and clever enchanter.(GM)

“I will make mere youths their officials;
    children will rule over them.”(GN)

People will oppress each other—
    man against man, neighbor against neighbor.(GO)
The young will rise up against the old,
    the nobody against the honored.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:17 Or justice. / Correct the oppressor
  2. Isaiah 1:25 That is, against Jerusalem
  3. Isaiah 2:9 Or not raise them up
  4. Isaiah 2:16 Hebrew every ship of Tarshish

Judah Called to Repentance

The (A)vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the (B)days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The Wickedness of Judah

(C)Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children,
And they have rebelled against Me;
(D)The ox knows its owner
And the donkey its master’s [a]crib;
But Israel (E)does not know,
My people do not [b]consider.”

Alas, sinful nation,
A people [c]laden with iniquity,
(F)A [d]brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.

(G)Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.

(H)Your country is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
Strangers devour your land in your presence;
And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
So the daughter of Zion is left (I)as a [e]booth in a vineyard,
As a hut in a garden of cucumbers,
(J)As a besieged city.
(K)Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left to us a very small remnant,
We would have become like (L)Sodom,
We would have been made like Gomorrah.

10 Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers (M)of Sodom;
Give ear to the law of our God,
You people of Gomorrah:
11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your (N)sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.

12 “When you come (O)to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
13 Bring no more (P)futile[f] sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and (Q)the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14 Your (R)New Moons and your (S)appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 (T)When you [g]spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
(U)Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of [h]blood.

16 “Wash(V) yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
(W)Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke [i]the oppressor;
[j]Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.

18 “Come now, and let us (X)reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
(Y)They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
(Z)For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

The Degenerate City

21 (AA)How the faithful city has become a [k]harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now (AB)murderers.
22 (AC)Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23 (AD)Your princes are rebellious,
And (AE)companions of thieves;
(AF)Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They (AG)do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.

24 Therefore the Lord says,
The Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,
“Ah, (AH)I will [l]rid Myself of My adversaries,
And [m]take vengeance on My enemies.
25 I will turn My hand against you,
And (AI)thoroughly[n] purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges (AJ)as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward (AK)you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”

27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
And her [o]penitents with righteousness.
28 The (AL)destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,
And those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
29 For [p]they shall be ashamed of the [q]terebinth trees
Which you have desired;
And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens
Which you have chosen.
30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades,
And as a garden that has no water.
31 (AM)The strong shall be as tinder,
And the work of it as a spark;
Both will burn together,
And no one shall (AN)quench them.

The Future House of God(AO)

The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

Now (AP)it shall come to pass (AQ)in the latter days
(AR)That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
Many people shall come and say,
(AS)“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
(AT)For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning [r]hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.

The Day of the Lord

O house of Jacob, come and let us (AU)walk
In the light of the Lord.

For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled (AV)with eastern ways;
They are (AW)soothsayers like the Philistines,
(AX)And they [s]are pleased with the children of foreigners.
(AY)Their land is also full of silver and gold,
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land is also full of horses,
And there is no end to their chariots.
(AZ)Their land is also full of idols;
They worship the work of their own hands,
That which their own fingers have made.
People bow down,
And each man humbles himself;
Therefore do not forgive them.

10 (BA)Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty.
11 The [t]lofty looks of man shall be (BB)humbled,
The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,
And the Lord alone shall be exalted (BC)in that day.

12 For the day of the Lord of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—
13 Upon all (BD)the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,
And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
14 (BE)Upon all the high mountains,
And upon all the hills that are lifted up;
15 Upon every high tower,
And upon every fortified wall;
16 (BF)Upon all the ships of Tarshish,
And upon all the beautiful sloops.
17 The [u]loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;
The Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
18 But the idols [v]He shall utterly abolish.

19 They shall go into the (BG)holes of the rocks,
And into the caves of the [w]earth,
(BH)From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises (BI)to shake the earth mightily.

20 In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver
And his idols of gold,
Which they made, each for himself to worship,
To the moles and bats,
21 To go into the clefts of the rocks,
And into the crags of the rugged rocks,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily.

22 (BJ)Sever[x] yourselves from such a man,
Whose (BK)breath is in his nostrils;
For [y]of what account is he?

Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem

For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
(BL)Takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah
(BM)The[z] stock and the store,
The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water;
(BN)The mighty man and the man of war,
The judge and the prophet,
And the diviner and the elder;
The captain of fifty and the [aa]honorable man,
The counselor and the skillful artisan,
And the expert enchanter.

“I will give (BO)children[ab] to be their princes,
And [ac]babes shall rule over them.
The people will be oppressed,
Every one by another and every one by his neighbor;
The child will be insolent toward the [ad]elder,
And the [ae]base toward the honorable.”

When a man takes hold of his brother
In the house of his father, saying,
“You have clothing;
You be our ruler,
And let these ruins be under your [af]power,”
In that day he will protest, saying,
“I cannot cure your ills,
For in my house is neither food nor clothing;
Do not make me a ruler of the people.”

For (BP)Jerusalem stumbled,
And Judah is fallen,
Because their tongue and their doings
Are against the Lord,
To provoke the eyes of His glory.
The look on their countenance witnesses against them,
And they declare their sin as (BQ)Sodom;
They do not hide it.
Woe to their soul!
For they have brought evil upon themselves.

10 “Say to the righteous (BR)that it shall be well with them,
(BS)For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe to the wicked! (BT)It shall be ill with him,
For the reward of his hands shall be [ag]given him.
12 As for My people, children are their oppressors,
And women rule over them.
O My people! (BU)Those who lead you [ah]cause you to err,
And destroy the way of your paths.”

Oppression and Luxury Condemned

13 The Lord stands up (BV)to [ai]plead,
And stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment
With the elders of His people
And His princes:
“For you have [aj]eaten up (BW)the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by (BX)crushing My people
And grinding the faces of the poor?”
Says the Lord God of hosts.

16 Moreover the Lord says:

“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
And walk with [ak]outstretched necks
And [al]wanton eyes,
Walking and [am]mincing as they go,
Making a jingling with their feet,
17 Therefore the Lord will strike with (BY)a scab
The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
And the Lord will (BZ)uncover their secret parts.”

18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery:
The jingling anklets, the [an]scarves, and the (CA)crescents;
19 The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
20 The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands;
The perfume boxes, the charms,
21     and the rings;
The nose jewels,
22     the festal apparel, and the mantles;
The outer garments, the purses,
23     and the mirrors;
The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.

24 And so it shall be:

Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;
Instead of a sash, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, (CB)baldness;
Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;
And [ao]branding instead of beauty.
25 Your men shall fall by the sword,
And your [ap]mighty in the war.

26 (CC)Her gates shall lament and mourn,
And she being desolate (CD)shall sit on the ground.

Jerusalem’s Glorious Future

And (CE)in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying,
“We will (CF)eat our own food and wear our own apparel;
Only let us be called by your name,
To take away (CG)our reproach.”

The Renewal of Zion

In that day (CH)the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious;
And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing
For those of Israel who have escaped.

And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem (CI)will be called holy—everyone who is (CJ)recorded among the living in Jerusalem. When (CK)the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the [aq]blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, (CL)a cloud and smoke by day and (CM)the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a [ar]covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, (CN)for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.

God’s Disappointing Vineyard

Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved (CO)regarding His vineyard:

My Well-beloved has a vineyard
[as]On a very fruitful hill.
He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also [at]made a winepress in it;
(CP)So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.

“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
(CQ)Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in (CR)it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
(CS)I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
I will lay it (CT)waste;
It shall not be pruned or [au]dug,
But there shall come up briers and (CU)thorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold, [av]a cry for help.

Impending Judgment on Excesses

Woe to those who [aw]join (CV)house to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
(CW)In my hearing the Lord of hosts said,
“Truly, many houses shall be desolate,
Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one (CX)bath,[ax]
And a homer of seed shall yield one [ay]ephah.”

11 (CY)Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
That they may [az]follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!
12 (CZ)The harp and the strings,
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;
But (DA)they do not regard the work of the Lord,
Nor consider the operation of His hands.

13 (DB)Therefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no (DC)knowledge;
Their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.
15 People shall be brought down,
(DD)Each man shall be humbled,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.
16 But the Lord of hosts shall be (DE)exalted in judgment,
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.
17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture,
And in the waste places of (DF)the [ba]fat ones strangers shall eat.

18 Woe to those who [bb]draw iniquity with cords of [bc]vanity,
And sin as if with a cart rope;
19 (DG)That say, “Let Him make speed and hasten His work,
That we may see it;
And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come,
That we may know it.

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe to those who are (DH)wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who (DI)justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!

24 Therefore, (DJ)as the [bd]fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So (DK)their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 (DL)Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people;
He has stretched out His hand against them
And stricken them,
And (DM)the hills trembled.
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.

(DN)For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

26 (DO)He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,
And will (DP)whistle to them from (DQ)the end of the earth;
Surely (DR)they shall come with speed, swiftly.
27 No one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep;
Nor (DS)will the belt on their loins be loosed,
Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;
28 (DT)Whose arrows are sharp,
And all their bows bent;
Their horses’ hooves will [be]seem like flint,
And their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roaring will be like a lion,
They will roar like young lions;
Yes, they will roar
And lay hold of the prey;
They will carry it away safely,
And no one will deliver.
30 In that day they will roar against them
Like the roaring of the sea.
And if one (DU)looks to the land,
Behold, darkness and [bf]sorrow;
And the light is darkened by the clouds.

Isaiah Called to Be a Prophet(DV)

In the year that (DW)King Uzziah died, I (DX)saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, (DY)with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said:

(DZ)“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
(EA)The whole earth is full of His glory!”

And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

So I said:

“Woe is me, for I am [bg]undone!
Because I am a man of (EB)unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from (EC)the altar. And he (ED)touched my mouth with it, and said:

“Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin [bh]purged.”

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for (EE)Us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

And He said, “Go, and (EF)tell this people:

‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

10 “Make (EG)the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
(EH)Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.”

11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”

And He answered:

(EI)“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant,
The houses are without a man,
The land is utterly desolate,
12 (EJ)The Lord has removed men far away,
And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 But yet a tenth will be in it,
And will return and be for consuming,
As a terebinth tree or as an oak,
Whose stump remains when it is cut down.
So (EK)the holy seed shall be its stump.”

Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz(EL)

Now it came to pass in the days of (EM)Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against (EN)it, but could not [bi]prevail against it. And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are [bj]deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and [bk]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, and say to him: [bl]‘Take heed, and [bm]be (EO)quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and [bn]trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— thus says the Lord God:

(EP)“It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.
(EQ)For the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be [bo]broken,
So that it will not be a people.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son.
(ER)If you will not believe,
Surely you shall not be established.” ’ ”

The Immanuel Prophecy

10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 (ES)“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [bp]ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”

12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”

13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: (ET)Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear (EU)a Son, and shall call His name (EV)Immanuel.[bq] 15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 (EW)For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by (EX)both her kings. 17 (EY)The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that (EZ)Ephraim departed from Judah.”

18 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord (FA)will whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in (FB)the clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.

20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a (FC)hired (FD)razor,
With those from beyond [br]the River, with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.

21 It shall be in that day
That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give,
That he will eat curds;
For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.

23 It shall happen in that day,
That wherever there could be a thousand vines
Worth a thousand shekels of silver,
(FE)It will be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and bows men will come there,
Because all the land will become briers and thorns.

25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe,
You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns;
But it will become a range for oxen
And a place for sheep to roam.

Assyria Will Invade the Land

Moreover the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll, and (FF)write on it with a man’s pen concerning [bs]Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, (FG)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”

Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; (FH)for before the child [bt]shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ (FI)the riches of Damascus and the [bu]spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”

The Lord also spoke to me again, saying:

“Inasmuch as these people refused
The waters of (FJ)Shiloah that flow softly,
And rejoice (FK)in Rezin and in Remaliah’s son;
Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them
The waters of [bv]the River, strong and mighty—
The king of Assyria and all his glory;
He will [bw]go up over all his channels
And go over all his banks.
He will pass through Judah,
He will overflow and pass over,
(FL)He will reach up to the neck;
And the stretching out of his wings
Will [bx]fill the breadth of Your land, O (FM)Immanuel.[by]

“Be(FN) shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces!
Give ear, all you from far countries.
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces;
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.
10 (FO)Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, (FP)but it will not stand,
(FQ)For [bz]God is with us.”

Fear God, Heed His Word

11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with [ca]a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:

12 “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their [cb]threats, nor be [cc]troubled.
13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.
14 (FR)He will be as a [cd]sanctuary,
But (FS)a stone of stumbling and a rock of [ce]offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall (FT)stumble;
They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and [cf]taken.”

16 Bind up the testimony,
Seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait on the Lord,
Who (FU)hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I (FV)will hope in Him.
18 (FW)Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me!
We (FX)are for signs and wonders in Israel
From the Lord of hosts,
Who dwells in Mount Zion.

19 And when they say to you, (FY)“Seek those who are mediums and wizards, (FZ)who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they (GA)seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 (GB)To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because (GC)there[cg] is no light in them.

21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and (GD)curse [ch]their king and their God, and look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:3 manger or feed trough
  2. Isaiah 1:3 understand
  3. Isaiah 1:4 Lit. heavy, weighed down
  4. Isaiah 1:4 offspring, seed
  5. Isaiah 1:8 shelter
  6. Isaiah 1:13 worthless
  7. Isaiah 1:15 Pray
  8. Isaiah 1:15 bloodshed
  9. Isaiah 1:17 Some ancient vss. the oppressed
  10. Isaiah 1:17 Vindicate
  11. Isaiah 1:21 Unfaithful
  12. Isaiah 1:24 be relieved of
  13. Isaiah 1:24 avenge Myself
  14. Isaiah 1:25 refine with lye
  15. Isaiah 1:27 Lit. returners
  16. Isaiah 1:29 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; some Heb. mss., Tg. you
  17. Isaiah 1:29 Sites of pagan worship
  18. Isaiah 2:4 knives
  19. Isaiah 2:6 Or clap, shake hands to make bargains with the children
  20. Isaiah 2:11 proud
  21. Isaiah 2:17 pride
  22. Isaiah 2:18 Or shall utterly vanish
  23. Isaiah 2:19 Lit. dust
  24. Isaiah 2:22 Lit. Cease yourselves from the man
  25. Isaiah 2:22 Lit. in what is he to be esteemed
  26. Isaiah 3:1 Every support
  27. Isaiah 3:3 Eminent looking men
  28. Isaiah 3:4 boys
  29. Isaiah 3:4 Or capricious ones
  30. Isaiah 3:5 aged
  31. Isaiah 3:5 despised, lightly esteemed
  32. Isaiah 3:6 Lit. hand
  33. Isaiah 3:11 done to him
  34. Isaiah 3:12 lead you astray
  35. Isaiah 3:13 contend, plead His case
  36. Isaiah 3:14 burned
  37. Isaiah 3:16 Head held high
  38. Isaiah 3:16 seductive, ogling
  39. Isaiah 3:16 tripping or skipping
  40. Isaiah 3:18 headbands
  41. Isaiah 3:24 burning scar
  42. Isaiah 3:25 Lit. strength
  43. Isaiah 4:4 bloodshed
  44. Isaiah 4:5 canopy
  45. Isaiah 5:1 Lit. In a horn, the son of fatness
  46. Isaiah 5:2 Lit. hewed out
  47. Isaiah 5:6 hoed
  48. Isaiah 5:7 wailing
  49. Isaiah 5:8 Accumulate houses
  50. Isaiah 5:10 1 bath=1⁄10 homer
  51. Isaiah 5:10 1 ephah=1⁄10 homer
  52. Isaiah 5:11 pursue
  53. Isaiah 5:17 Lit. fatlings, rich ones
  54. Isaiah 5:18 drag
  55. Isaiah 5:18 emptiness or falsehood
  56. Isaiah 5:24 Lit. tongue of fire
  57. Isaiah 5:28 Lit. be regarded as
  58. Isaiah 5:30 distress
  59. Isaiah 6:5 destroyed, cut off
  60. Isaiah 6:7 atoned for
  61. Isaiah 7:1 conquer it
  62. Isaiah 7:2 Lit. settled upon
  63. Isaiah 7:3 Lit. A Remnant Shall Return
  64. Isaiah 7:4 Be careful
  65. Isaiah 7:4 be calm
  66. Isaiah 7:6 cause a sickening dread
  67. Isaiah 7:8 Lit. shattered
  68. Isaiah 7:11 Lit. make the request deep or make it high above
  69. Isaiah 7:14 Lit. God-With-Us
  70. Isaiah 7:20 The Euphrates
  71. Isaiah 8:1 Lit. Speed the Spoil, Hasten the Booty
  72. Isaiah 8:4 knows how
  73. Isaiah 8:4 plunder
  74. Isaiah 8:7 The Euphrates
  75. Isaiah 8:7 Overflow
  76. Isaiah 8:8 Lit. be the fullness of
  77. Isaiah 8:8 Lit. God-With-Us
  78. Isaiah 8:10 Heb. Immanuel
  79. Isaiah 8:11 Mighty power
  80. Isaiah 8:12 Lit. fear or terror
  81. Isaiah 8:12 Lit. in dread
  82. Isaiah 8:14 holy abode
  83. Isaiah 8:14 stumbling over
  84. Isaiah 8:15 captured
  85. Isaiah 8:20 Or they have no dawn
  86. Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king and by their God