Demons Driven Out by Jesus

They(A) came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes.[a] 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. He lived in the tombs,(E) and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain(F) 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. Night(I) and day among the tombs(J) and on the mountains,(K) he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 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!” For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean(O) spirit!”(P)

“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.

Footnotes

  1. 5:1 Some mss read Gadarenes; other mss read Gergesenes
  2. 5:12 Other mss read All the demons
  3. 5:21 Other mss omit by boat
  4. 5:23 Or she might be saved
  5. 5:36 Or ignored
  6. 5:41 An Aramaic expression

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man

So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes.[a] When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil[b] spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.

When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”

Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”

And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” 10 Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.

11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 12 “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”

13 So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

14 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. 15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 16 Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. 17 And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns[c] of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

Jesus Heals in Response to Faith

21 Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, 23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”

24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. 25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”

31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”

36 But Jesus overheard[d] them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”

37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. 39 He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”

40 The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” 42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. 43 Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.

Footnotes

  1. 5:1 Other manuscripts read Gadarenes; still others read Gergesenes. See Matt 8:28; Luke 8:26.
  2. 5:2 Greek unclean; also in 5:8, 13.
  3. 5:20 Greek Decapolis.
  4. 5:36 Or ignored.