Mark 1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Proclamation of John the Baptist
1 The beginning of the good news[a] of Jesus Christ.[b](A)
2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,[c]
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,[d]
who will prepare your way,(B)
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight,’ ”(C)
4 so John the baptizer appeared[e] in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.(D) 5 And the whole Judean region and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him and were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.(E) 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals.(F) 8 I have baptized you with[f] water, but he will baptize you with[g] the Holy Spirit.”(G)
The Baptism of Jesus
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.(H) 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove upon him.(I) 11 And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my Son, the Beloved;[h] with you I am well pleased.”(J)
The Testing of Jesus
12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tested by Satan, and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels waited on him.
The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news[i] of[j] God(K) 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;[k] repent, and believe in the good news.”[l](L)
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.(M) 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
The Man with an Unclean Spirit
21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.(N) 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.(O) 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”(P) 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!”(Q) 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He[m] commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”(R) 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
Jesus Heals Many at Simon’s House
29 As soon as they[n] left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.(S) 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed by demons.(T) 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons, and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.(U)
A Preaching Tour in Galilee
35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.(V) 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38 He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also, for that is what I came out to do.”(W) 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.(X)
Jesus Cleanses a Man with a Skin Disease
40 A man with a skin disease came to him begging him, and kneeling[o] he said to him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”(Y) 41 Moved with pity,[p] Jesus[q] stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I am willing. Be made clean!” 42 Immediately the skin disease left him, and he was made clean. 43 After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, 44 saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded as a testimony to them.”(Z) 45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the word, so that Jesus[r] could no longer go into a town openly but stayed out in the country, and people came to him from every quarter.(AA)
Footnotes
- 1.1 Or gospel
- 1.1 Other ancient authorities add Son of God
- 1.2 Other ancient authorities read in the prophets
- 1.2 Gk before your face
- 1.4 Other ancient authorities read John was baptizing
- 1.8 Or in
- 1.8 Or in
- 1.11 Or my beloved Son
- 1.14 Or gospel
- 1.14 Other ancient authorities add of the kingdom of
- 1.15 Or is at hand
- 1.15 Or gospel
- 1.27 Or A new teaching! With authority he
- 1.29 Other ancient authorities read he
- 1.40 Other ancient authorities lack kneeling
- 1.41 Other ancient authorities read anger
- 1.41 Gk he
- 1.45 Gk he
Mark 1
Contemporary English Version
The Preaching of John the Baptist
(Matthew 3.1-12; Luke 3.1-18; John 1.19-28)
1 This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.[a] 2 (A) It began just as God had said in the book written by Isaiah the prophet,
“I am sending my messenger
to get the way ready
for you.
3 (B) In the desert
someone is shouting,
‘Get the road ready
for the Lord!
Make a straight path
for him.’ ”
4 So John the Baptist showed up in the desert and told everyone, “Turn back to God and be baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven.”
5 From all Judea and Jerusalem crowds of people went to John. They told how sorry they were for their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.
6 (C) John wore clothes made of camel's hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey.
7 John also told the people, “Someone more powerful is going to come. And I am not good enough even to stoop down and untie his sandals.[b] 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”
The Baptism of Jesus
(Matthew 3.13-17; Luke 3.21,22)
9 About that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 As soon as Jesus came out of the water, he saw the sky open and the Holy Spirit coming down to him like a dove. 11 (D) A voice from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.”
Jesus and Satan
(Matthew 4.1-11; Luke 4.1-13)
12 At once God's Spirit made Jesus go into the desert. 13 He stayed there for 40 days while Satan tested him. Jesus was with the wild animals, but angels took care of him.
Jesus Begins His Work
(Matthew 4.12-17; Luke 4.14,15)
14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and told the good news that comes from God.[c] 15 (E) He said, “The time has come! God's kingdom will soon be here.[d] Turn back to God and believe the good news!”
Jesus Chooses Four Fishermen
(Matthew 4.18-22; Luke 5.1-11)
16 As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen and were casting their nets into the lake. 17 Jesus said to them, “Follow me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish.” 18 Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him.
19 Jesus walked on and soon saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat, mending their nets. 20 At once Jesus asked them to come with him. They left their father in the boat with the hired workers and went with him.
A Man with an Evil Spirit
(Luke 4.31-37)
21 Jesus and his disciples went to the town of Capernaum. Then on the next Sabbath he went into the synagogue and started teaching. 22 (F) Everyone was amazed at his teaching. He taught with authority, and not like the teachers of the Law of Moses. 23 Suddenly a man with an evil spirit[e] in him entered the synagogue and yelled, 24 “Jesus from Nazareth, what do you want with us? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are! You are God's Holy One.”
25 Jesus told the evil spirit, “Be quiet and come out of the man!” 26 The spirit shook him. Then it gave a loud shout and left.
27 Everyone was completely surprised and kept saying to each other, “What is this? It must be some new kind of powerful teaching! Even the evil spirits obey him.” 28 News about Jesus quickly spread all over Galilee.
Jesus Heals Many People
(Matthew 8.14-17; Luke 4.38-41)
29 As soon as Jesus left the synagogue with James and John, they went home with Simon and Andrew. 30 When they got there, Jesus was told that Simon's mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever. 31 Jesus went to her. He took hold of her hand and helped her up. The fever left her, and she served them a meal.
32 That evening after sunset,[f] all who were sick or had demons in them were brought to Jesus. 33 In fact, the whole town gathered around the door of the house. 34 Jesus healed all kinds of terrible diseases and forced out a lot of demons. But the demons knew who he was, and he did not let them speak.
35 Very early the next morning before daylight, Jesus got up and went to a place where he could be alone and pray. 36 Simon and the others started looking for him. 37 And when they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “We must go to the nearby towns, so that I can tell the good news to those people. This is why I have come.” 39 (G) Then Jesus went to their synagogues everywhere in Galilee, where he preached and forced out demons.
Jesus Heals a Man
(Matthew 8.1-4; Luke 5.12-16)
40 A man with leprosy[g] came to Jesus and knelt down.[h] He begged, “You have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to.”
41 Jesus felt sorry for[i] the man. So he put his hand on him and said, “I want to! Now you are well.” 42 At once the man's leprosy disappeared, and he was well.
43 After Jesus strictly warned the man, he sent him on his way. 44 (H) He said, “Don't tell anyone about this. Just go and show the priest that you are well. Then take a gift to the temple as Moses commanded, and everyone will know that you have been healed.”[j]
45 The man talked about it so much and told so many people, that Jesus could no longer go openly into a town. He had to stay away from the towns, but people still came to him from everywhere.
Footnotes
- 1.1 the Son of God: These words are not in some manuscripts.
- 1.7 untie his sandals: This was the duty of a slave.
- 1.14 that comes from God: Or “that is about God.”
- 1.15 will soon be here: Or “is already here.”
- 1.23 evil spirit: A Jewish person who had an evil spirit was considered “unclean” and was not allowed to eat or worship with other Jewish people.
- 1.32 after sunset: The Sabbath was over, and a new day began at sunset.
- 1.40 leprosy: In biblical times the word “leprosy” was used for many different kinds of skin diseases.
- 1.40 and knelt down: These words are not in some manuscripts.
- 1.41 felt sorry for: Some manuscripts have “was angry with.”
- 1.44 everyone will know that you have been healed: People with leprosy had to be examined by a priest and told that they were well (that is, “clean”) before they could once again live a normal life in the Jewish community. The gift that Moses commanded was the sacrifice of some lambs together with flour mixed with olive oil.
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