Mark 1
English Standard Version
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, (A)the Son of God.[a]
2 (B)As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,[b]
(C)“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 (D)the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(E)‘Prepare[c] the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4 (F)John appeared, baptizing in (G)the wilderness and proclaiming (H)a baptism of (I)repentance (J)for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, (K)confessing their sins. 6 Now John was (L)clothed with camel's hair and (M)wore a leather belt around his waist and ate (N)locusts and (O)wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, (P)“After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 (Q)I have baptized you with water, but (R)he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Baptism of Jesus
9 (S)In those days Jesus (T)came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he (U)saw (V)the heavens being torn open (W)and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And (X)a voice came from heaven, (Y)“You are my beloved Son;[d] with you I am well pleased.”
The Temptation of Jesus
12 (Z)The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 (AA)And he was in the wilderness forty days, being (AB)tempted by (AC)Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and (AD)the angels were ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
14 (AE)Now after John was arrested, Jesus (AF)came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, (AG)“The time is fulfilled, and (AH)the kingdom of God is at hand;[e] (AI)repent and believe in the gospel.”
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
16 (AJ)Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become (AK)fishers of men.”[f] 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit
21 (AL)And they went into Capernaum, and immediately (AM)on the Sabbath (AN)he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And (AO)they were astonished at his teaching, (AP)for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 (AQ)“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? (AR)I know who you are—(AS)the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus (AT)rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, (AU)convulsing him and (AV)crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all (AW)amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? (AX)A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
Jesus Heals Many
29 (AY)And immediately he[g] (AZ)left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now (BA)Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and (BB)took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or (BC)oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 (BD)And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And (BE)he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
35 (BF)And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and (BG)there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, (BH)“Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for (BI)that is why I came out.” 39 (BJ)And (BK)he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
40 (BL)And a leper[h] came to him, imploring him, and (BM)kneeling said to him, (BN)“If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And (BO)Jesus[i] sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, (BP)“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, (BQ)show yourself to the priest and (BR)offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, (BS)for a proof to them.” 45 (BT)But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter (BU)a town, but was out in (BV)desolate places, and (BW)people were coming to him from every quarter.
Footnotes
- Mark 1:1 Some manuscripts omit the Son of God
- Mark 1:2 Some manuscripts in the prophets
- Mark 1:3 Or crying: Prepare in the wilderness
- Mark 1:11 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved
- Mark 1:15 Or the kingdom of God has come near
- Mark 1:17 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women
- Mark 1:29 Some manuscripts they
- Mark 1:40 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
- Mark 1:43 Greek he; also verse 45
Mark 1
Common English Bible
Beginning of good news
1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, 2 happened just as it was written about in the prophecy of Isaiah:
Look, I am sending my messenger before you.
He will prepare your way,
3 a voice shouting in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way for the Lord;
make his paths straight.”[a]
John’s preaching
4 John the Baptist was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. 5 Everyone in Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to the Jordan River and were being baptized by John as they confessed their sins. 6 John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He announced, “One stronger than I am is coming after me. I’m not even worthy to bend over and loosen the strap of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus is baptized and tempted
9 About that time, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 While he was coming up out of the water, Jesus saw heaven splitting open and the Spirit, like a dove, coming down on him. 11 And there was a voice from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.”
12 At once the Spirit forced Jesus out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among the wild animals, and the angels took care of him.
Jesus’ message
14 After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee announcing God’s good news, 15 saying, “Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!”
Jesus calls disciples
16 As Jesus passed alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” 18 Right away, they left their nets and followed him. 19 After going a little farther, he saw James and John, Zebedee’s sons, in their boat repairing the fishing nets. 20 At that very moment he called them. They followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers.
Jesus throws a demon out
21 Jesus and his followers went into Capernaum. Immediately on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and started teaching. 22 The people were amazed by his teaching, for he was teaching them with authority, not like the legal experts. 23 Suddenly, there in the synagogue, a person with an evil spirit screamed, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the holy one from God.”
25 “Silence!” Jesus said, speaking harshly to the demon. “Come out of him!” 26 The unclean spirit shook him and screamed, then it came out.
27 Everyone was shaken and questioned among themselves, “What’s this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands unclean spirits and they obey him!” 28 Right away the news about him spread throughout the entire region of Galilee.
Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law
29 After leaving the synagogue, Jesus, James, and John went home with Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed, sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. 31 He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she served them.
Jesus’ ministry spreads
32 That evening, at sunset, people brought to Jesus those who were sick or demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered near the door. 34 He healed many who were sick with all kinds of diseases, and he threw out many demons. But he didn’t let the demons speak, because they recognized him.
35 Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer. 36 Simon and those with him tracked him down. 37 When they found him, they told him, “Everyone’s looking for you!”
38 He replied, “Let’s head in the other direction, to the nearby villages, so that I can preach there too. That’s why I’ve come.” 39 He traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and throwing out demons.
A man with a skin disease
40 A man with a skin disease approached Jesus, fell to his knees, and begged, “If you want, you can make me clean.”
41 Incensed,[b] Jesus reached out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do want to. Be clean.” 42 Instantly, the skin disease left him, and he was clean. 43 Sternly, Jesus sent him away, 44 saying, “Don’t say anything to anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifice for your cleansing that Moses commanded. This will be a testimony to them.” 45 Instead, he went out and started talking freely and spreading the news so that Jesus wasn’t able to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, but people came to him from everywhere.
Footnotes
- Mark 1:3 Isa 40:3; Mal 3:1; Exod 23:20
- Mark 1:41 Most critical editions of the Gk New Testament read filled with compassion.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible