Mark 5
New King James Version
A Demon-Possessed Man Healed(A)
5 Then (B)they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the [a]Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an (C)unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind [b]him, not even with chains, 4 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. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 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 (D)implore[c] You by God that You do not torment me.”
8 For He said to him, (E)“Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 9 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 (F)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 [d]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 (G)demon-possessed and had the legion, (H)sitting and (I)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 (J)they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.
18 And when He got into the boat, (K)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 (L)proclaim in [e]Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all (M)marveled.
A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed(N)
21 (O)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 (P)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 (Q)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 (R)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 (S)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 [f]affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that (T)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, (U)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, (V)your faith has made you well. (W)Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
35 (X)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 (Y)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 [g]a tumult and those who (Z)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 (AA)sleeping.”
40 And they ridiculed Him. (AB)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 (AC)overcome with great amazement. 43 But (AD)He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.
Mark 5
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 5
Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac.[a] 1 They reached the region of the Gerasenes[b] on the other side of the lake. 2 No sooner had he stepped out of the boat than a man with an unclean spirit came up to him from the tombs.[c] 3 The man had been living in the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, not even with chains. 4 For he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but he had snapped the chains and smashed the shackles to pieces, and no one had sufficient strength to subdue him. 5 Day and night among the tombs and on the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones.
6 When the man caught sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, 7 as he shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you in God’s name: do not torment me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!” 9 Then he asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for there are many of us.”[d] 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
11 Now on the mountainside a great herd of pigs was feeding. 12 And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them.” 13 He allowed this. With that, the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, charged down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned in the waters.
14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. As a result, people came out to see what had happened. 15 When they came near Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by Legion sitting there fully clothed and in his right mind, and they were frightened. 16 Those who had been eyewitnesses to the incident confirmed what had happened to the demoniac and what had happened to the pigs. 17 Then they began to implore Jesus to leave their region.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons pleaded to be allowed to go with him. 19 However, Jesus would not permit him to do so, and instead told him, “Go home to your own people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 The man then departed and began to make known throughout the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.[e]
21 Jesus Heals a Woman and Raises a Child.[f] When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed by the lake. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue,[g] named Jairus, came forward, and when he saw Jesus he threw himself down at his feet 23 and pleaded with him, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. I beg you to come and lay your hands on her so that she may recover and live.” 24 Jesus went with him, and a large number accompanied him and crowded around him.
25 There was a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. 26 In spite of long and painful treatment at the hands of many doctors, her condition not only had failed to improve but had actually become worse, and she had spent everything she had. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she thought, “If I simply touch his clothing, I shall be made well.” 29 And immediately her bleeding dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
30 Instantly aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothing?” 31 His disciples said in reply, “You see this vast throng pressing upon you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 However, he continued to look around to determine who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She knelt before him and revealed to him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your affliction.”
35 While he was still speaking, some people from the house of the synagogue leader arrived and said, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the Teacher any further?” 36 Jesus heard the message they had delivered, but he said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid. Just have faith.” 37 He allowed no one to accompany him except Peter, James, and John,[h] the brother of James.
38 When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, he observed a great deal of commotion, with people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he entered, he said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead; she is asleep.” 40 In response, they laughed at him.
After sending them all outside, he took with him the child’s father and mother and his own companions and entered the room where the child was. 41 He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” which means: “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” 42 And immediately the girl, a child of twelve, got up and began to walk around.
On witnessing this, they were all overcome with amazement, 43 but he gave them strict instructions that no one should be told anything about this. Then he told them to give her something to eat.
Footnotes
- Mark 5:1 The scene shifts to the Decapolis, a group of ten more or less autonomous cities east of the Jordan; it is as if in a pagan land the forces of evil could enslave and destroy human beings. The demons are condemned to take refuge in the pigs, impure animals par excellence in Jewish eyes. See also note on Mt 8:28-34.
- Mark 5:1 The region of the Gerasenes: the area was southeast of Lake Tiberias.
- Mark 5:2 Caves were used for tombs.
- Mark 5:9 My name is Legion . . . there are many of us: a Roman legion was made up of 6000 men. The word “legion” gives the idea that the man was possessed by many demons and also provides an inkling of the numerous powers opposed to Jesus, who incorporates the divine power.
- Mark 5:20 See note on Mt 4:25.
- Mark 5:21 A woman, who according to the ideas of the time was unclean and would contaminate by her touch, touches Jesus in a hidden gesture of hope; he frees her from her disease with kind words.
When Jesus restores the girl to life, he does it privately, because he does not want the Messiah to be thought of as a magician; only three witnesses are there, those present at the transfiguration (Mk 9:2) and the agony (Mk 14:33). These men would bear witness to the mystery of Jesus who dies and rises in order to save humanity from evil and death, and thus to Jesus as the authentic Messiah. See note on Mt 9:18-26. - Mark 5:22 Leaders of the synagogue: laymen who held administrative responsibilities such as taking care of the building and supervising the worship. Most synagogues had only one ruler, but there were exceptions (see Acts 13:15). There were also cases of honorary leaders.
- Mark 5:37 Peter, James, and John: while Matthew focuses his attention mainly on Peter, Mark stresses this privileged group of three disciples. They will be witnesses of the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mk 5:37-43), the transfiguration of Jesus (Mk 9:2-13), and the agony in the garden (Mk 14:32-42). Obviously Mark depends on the preaching of Peter, yet Peter rarely emphasized his privilege.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
