Mark 5
Contemporary English Version
A Man with Evil Spirits
(Matthew 8.28-34; Luke 8.26-39)
5 Jesus and his disciples crossed Lake Galilee and came to shore near the town of Gerasa.[a] 2 When he was getting out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit quickly ran to him 3 from the graveyard[b] where he had been living. No one was able to tie the man up anymore, not even with a chain. 4 He had often been put in chains and leg irons, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. No one could control him. 5 Night and day he was in the graveyard or on the hills, yelling and cutting himself with stones.
6 When the man saw Jesus in the distance, he ran up to him and knelt down. 7 He shouted, “Jesus, Son of God in heaven, what do you want with me? Promise me in God's name that you won't torture me!” 8 The man said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to come out of him.
9 Jesus asked, “What is your name?”
The man answered, “My name is Lots, because I have ‘lots’ of evil spirits.” 10 He then begged Jesus not to send them away.
11 Over on the hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. 12 So the evil spirits begged Jesus, “Send us into those pigs! Let us go into them.” 13 Jesus let them go, and they went out of the man and into the pigs. The whole herd of about 2,000 pigs rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
14 The men taking care of the pigs ran to the town and the farms to spread the news. Then the people came out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had once been full of demons. He was sitting there with his clothes on and in his right mind, and they were terrified.
16 Everyone who had seen what had happened told about the man and the pigs. 17 Then the people started begging Jesus to leave their part of the country.
18 When Jesus was getting into the boat, the man begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how good he has been to you.”
20 The man went away into the region near the ten cities known as Decapolis[c] and began telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him. Everyone who heard what had happened was amazed.
A Dying Girl and a Sick Woman
(Matthew 9.18-26; Luke 8.40-56)
21 Once again Jesus got into the boat and crossed Lake Galilee.[d] Then as he stood on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him. 22 The person in charge of the synagogue was also there. His name was Jairus, and when he saw Jesus, he went over to him. He knelt at Jesus' feet 23 and started begging him for help. He said, “My little daughter is about to die! Please come and touch her, so she will get well and live.” 24 Jesus went with Jairus. Many people followed along and kept crowding around.
25 In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. 26 (A) She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.
27 The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes. 28 She had said to herself, “If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 As soon as she touched them, her bleeding stopped, and she knew she was healed.
30 At that moment Jesus felt power go out from him. He turned to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 His disciples said to him, “Look at all these people crowding around you! How can you ask who touched you?” 32 But Jesus turned to see who had touched him.
33 The woman knew what had happened to her. So she came trembling with fear and knelt down in front of Jesus. Then she told him the whole story.
34 Jesus said to the woman, “You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace! You are healed, and you will no longer be in pain.”
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from Jairus' home and said, “Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher anymore?”
36 Jesus heard[e] what they said, and he said to Jairus, “Don't worry. Just have faith!”
37 Jesus did not let anyone go with him except Peter and the two brothers, James and John. 38 They went home with Jairus and saw the people crying and making a lot of noise.[f] 39 Then Jesus went inside and said to them, “Why are you crying and carrying on like this? The child isn't dead. She is just asleep.” 40 But the people laughed at him.
After Jesus had sent them all out of the house, he took the girl's father and mother and his three disciples and went to where she was. 41-42 He took the twelve-year-old girl by the hand and said, “Talitha, koum!”[g] which means, “Little girl, get up!” The girl got right up and started walking around.
Everyone was greatly surprised. 43 But Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. Then he said, “Give her something to eat.”
Footnotes
- 5.1 Gerasa: Some manuscripts have “Gadara,” and others have “Gergesa.”
- 5.3 graveyard: It was thought that demons and evil spirits lived in graveyards.
- 5.20 the ten cities known as Decapolis: A group of ten cities east of Samaria and Galilee, where the people followed the Greek way of life.
- 5.21 crossed Lake Galilee: To the west side.
- 5.36 heard: Or “ignored.”
- 5.38 crying and making a lot of noise: The Jewish people often hired mourners for funerals.
- 5.41,42 Talitha, koum: These words are in Aramaic, a language spoken in Palestine during the time of Jesus.
Mark 5
Christian Standard Bible
Demons Driven Out by Jesus
5 They(A) came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes.[a] 2 As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean(B) spirit(C) came out of the tombs(D) and met him. 3 He lived in the tombs,(E) and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain(F)— 4 because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed(G) the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue(H) him. 5 Night(I) and day among the tombs(J) and on the mountains,(K) he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son(L) of the Most High God?(M) I beg you before God, don’t torment(N) me!” 8 For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean(O) spirit!”(P)
9 “What is your name?” he asked him.
“My name is Legion,”(Q) he answered him, “because we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region.
11 A large herd of pigs(R) was there, feeding(S) on the hillside. 12 The demons[b] begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission, and the unclean(T) spirits(U) came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.
14 The men who tended them ran off(V) and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed,(W)(X) sitting there, dressed and in his right mind;(Y) and they were afraid.(Z) 16 Those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed(AA) man and told about the pigs. 17 Then they began to beg him to leave their region.
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him earnestly that he might remain with him. 19 Jesus did not let him but told him, “Go home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord(AB) has done(AC) for you and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So he went out and began to proclaim(AD) in the Decapolis(AE) how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.(AF)
A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed
21 When(AG) Jesus had crossed over again by boat[c] to the other side, a large crowd(AH) gathered around him while he was by the sea. 22 One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus,(AI) came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet(AJ) 23 and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on(AK) her so that she can get well[d](AL) and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against him.
25 Now a woman suffering from bleeding(AM) for twelve years 26 had endured(AN) much under many doctors.(AO) She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched(AP) his clothing.(AQ) 28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.”(AR) 29 Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed(AS) of her affliction.
30 Immediately Jesus realized that power(AT) had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd(AU) and said, “Who touched my clothes?”(AV)
31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 But he was looking around to see who had done this. 33 The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down(AW) before him, and told him the whole truth.(AX) 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith(AY) has saved you.(AZ) Go in peace and be healed(BA) from your affliction.”(BB)
35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher(BC) anymore?”
36 When Jesus overheard[e] what was said, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid.(BD) Only believe.” 37 He did not let anyone accompany him except Peter,(BE) James,(BF) and John,(BG) James’s brother. 38 They came to the leader’s house, and he saw a commotion—people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping?(BH) The child(BI) is not dead but asleep.”(BJ) 40 They laughed at him, but he put them all outside. He took the child’s father,(BK) mother, and those who were with him, and entered the place where the child was. 41 Then he took the child(BL) by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum”[f] (which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up”(BM)). 42 Immediately the girl got up(BN) and began to walk.(BO) (She was twelve years old.) At this they were utterly astounded.(BP) 43 Then he gave them strict orders that no one should know about this(BQ) and told them to give her something to eat.
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