Mark 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 5
The Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac. 1 [a](A)They came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. 2 When he got out of the boat, at once a man[b] from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. 3 The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. 4 In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. 6 Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, 7 crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me,[c] Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” 8 (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) 9 [d]He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”(B) 10 And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.
11 Now a large herd of swine[e] was feeding there on the hillside. 12 And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” 13 And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. 14 The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. 15 As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. 16 Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. 17 Then they began to beg him to leave their district. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. 19 But he would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home[f] to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” 20 Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.
Jairus’s Daughter and the Woman with a Hemorrhage.[g] 21 When Jesus had crossed again [in the boat] to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.(C) 22 One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.(D) Seeing him he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her[h] that she may get well and live.” 24 He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
25 There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. 28 [i]She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” 29 Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” 31 But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”(E)
35 [j]While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” 36 Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” 37 He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 [k](F)So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. 41 [l]He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” 42 The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. [At that] they were utterly astounded. 43 He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.
Footnotes
- 5:1 The territory of the Gerasenes: the reference is to pagan territory; cf. Is 65:1. Another reading is “Gadarenes”; see note on Mt 8:28.
- 5:2–6 The man was an outcast from society, dominated by unclean spirits (Mk 5:8, 13), living among the tombs. The prostration before Jesus (Mk 5:6) indicates Jesus’ power over evil spirits.
- 5:7 What have you to do with me?: cf. Mk 1:24 and see note on Jn 2:4.
- 5:9 Legion is my name: the demons were numerous and the condition of the possessed man was extremely serious; cf. Mt 12:45.
- 5:11 Herd of swine: see note on Mt 8:30.
- 5:19 Go home: Jesus did not accept the man’s request to remain with him as a disciple (Mk 5:18), yet invited him to announce to his own people what the Lord had done for him, i.e., proclaim the gospel message to his pagan family; cf. Mk 1:14, 39; 3:14; 13:10.
- 5:21–43 The story of the raising to life of Jairus’s daughter is divided into two parts: Mk 5:21–24; 5:35–43. Between these two separated parts the account of the cure of the hemorrhage victim (Mk 5:25–34) is interposed. This technique of intercalating or sandwiching one story within another occurs several times in Mk 3:19b–21; 3:22–30 3:31–35; 6:6b–13; 6:14–29; 6:30; 11:12–14; 11:15–19; 11:20–25; 14:53; 14:54; 14:55–65; 14:66–73.
- 5:23 Lay your hands on her: this act for the purpose of healing is frequent in Mk 6:5; 7:32–35; 8:23–25; 16:18 and is also found in Mt 9:18; Lk 4:40; 13:13; Acts 9:17; 28:8.
- 5:28 Both in the case of Jairus and his daughter (Mk 5:23) and in the case of the hemorrhage victim, the inner conviction that physical contact (Mk 5:30) accompanied by faith in Jesus’ saving power could effect a cure was rewarded.
- 5:35 The faith of Jairus was put to a twofold test: (1) that his daughter might be cured and, now that she had died, (2) that she might be restored to life. His faith contrasts with the lack of faith of the crowd.
- 5:39 Not dead but asleep: the New Testament often refers to death as sleep (Mt 27:52; Jn 11:11; 1 Cor 15:6; 1 Thes 4:13–15); see note on Mt 9:24.
- 5:41 Arise: the Greek verb egeirein is the verb generally used to express resurrection from death (Mk 6:14, 16; Mt 11:5; Lk 7:14) and Jesus’ own resurrection (Mk 16:6; Mt 28:6; Lk 24:6).
Mark 5
Darby Translation
5 And they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And immediately on his going out of the ship there met him out of the tombs a man possessed by an unclean spirit,
3 who had his dwelling in the tombs; and no one was able to bind him, not even with chains;
4 because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been torn asunder by him, and the fetters were shattered; and no one was able to subdue him.
5 And continually night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying and cutting himself with stones.
6 But seeing Jesus from afar off, he ran and did him homage,
7 and crying with a loud voice he says, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, torment me not.
8 For he said to him, Come forth, unclean spirit, out of the man.
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he says to him, Legion is my name, because 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 just at the mountain a great herd of swine feeding;
12 and they besought him, saying, Send us into the swine that we may enter into them.
13 And Jesus [immediately] allowed them. And the unclean spirits going out entered into the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep slope, into the sea (about two thousand), and were choked in the sea.
14 And those that were feeding them fled and reported it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had taken place.
15 And they come to Jesus, and they see the possessed of demons sitting [and] clothed and sensible, [him] that had had the legion: and they were afraid.
16 And they that had seen [it] related to them how it had happened to the [man] possessed by demons, and concerning the swine.
17 And they began to beg him to depart from their coasts.
18 And as he went on board ship, the man that had been possessed by demons besought him that he might be with him.
19 And he suffered him not, but says to him, Go to thine home to thine own people, and tell them how great things the Lord has done for thee, and has had mercy on thee.
20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him; and all wondered.
21 And Jesus having passed over in the ship again to the other side, a great crowd gathered to him; and he was by the sea.
22 And [behold] there comes one of the rulers of the synagogue, by name Jairus, and seeing him, falls down at his feet;
23 and he besought him much, saying, My little daughter is at extremity; [I pray] that thou shouldest come and lay thy hands upon her so that she may be healed, and may live.
24 And he went with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed on him.
25 And a certain woman who had had a flux of blood twelve years,
26 and had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent everything she had and had found no advantage from it, but had rather got worse,
27 having heard concerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind and touched his clothes;
28 for she said, If I shall touch but his clothes I shall be healed.
29 And immediately her fountain of blood was dried up, and she knew in her body that she was cured from the scourge.
30 And immediately Jesus, knowing in himself the power that had gone out of him, turning round in the crowd said, Who has touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said to him, Thou seest the crowd pressing on thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her who had done this.
33 But the woman, frightened and trembling, knowing what had taken place in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said to her, Daughter, thy faith has healed thee; go in peace, and be well of thy scourge.
35 While he was yet speaking, they come from the ruler of the synagogue's [house], saying, Thy daughter has died, why troublest thou the teacher any further?
36 But Jesus [immediately], having heard the word spoken, says to the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not; only believe.
37 And he suffered no one to accompany him save Peter and James, and John the brother of James.
38 And he comes to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and sees the tumult, and people weeping and wailing greatly.
39 And entering in he says to them, Why do ye make a tumult and weep? the child has not died, but sleeps.
40 And they derided him. But he, having put [them] all out, takes with [him] the father of the child, and the mother, and those that were with him, and enters in where the child was lying.
41 And having laid hold of the hand of the child, he says to her, Talitha koumi, which is, interpreted, Damsel, I say to thee, Arise.
42 And immediately the damsel arose and walked, for she was twelve years old. And they were astonished with great astonishment.
43 And he charged them much that no one should know this; and he desired that [something] should be given her to eat.
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