Mark 3
English Standard Version
A Man with a Withered Hand
3 (A)Again (B)he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And (C)they watched Jesus,[a] to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, (D)“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he (E)looked around at them with anger, grieved at (F)their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” (G)He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 (H)The Pharisees went out and immediately (I)held counsel with (J)the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
A Great Crowd Follows Jesus
7 (K)Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and (L)a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and (M)Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around (N)Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to (O)have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they (P)crush him, 10 for (Q)he had healed many, so that all who had (R)diseases pressed around him (S)to touch him. 11 (T)And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they (U)fell down before him and cried out, “You are (V)the Son of God.” 12 And (W)he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
The Twelve Apostles
13 (X)And he went up on the mountain and called to him those (Y)whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 (Z)And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 (AA)and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: (AB)Simon (to whom (AC)he gave the name Peter); 17 (AD)James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and (AE)Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,[b] 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
20 Then he went (AF)home, and the crowd gathered again, (AG)so that they could not even eat. 21 (AH)And when (AI)his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He (AJ)is out of his mind.”
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 And (AK)the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, (AL)“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 (AM)And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But (AN)no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. (AO)Then indeed he may plunder his house.
28 (AP)“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever (AQ)blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
31 (AR)And his mother and his (AS)brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers[c] are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And (AT)looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 (AU)For whoever (AV)does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
Mark 3
Common English Bible
Healing on the Sabbath
3 Jesus returned to the synagogue. A man with a withered hand was there. 2 Wanting to bring charges against Jesus, they were watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 3 He said to the man with the withered hand, “Step up where people can see you.” 4 Then he said to them, “Is it legal on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they said nothing. 5 Looking around at them with anger, deeply grieved at their unyielding hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he did, and his hand was made healthy. 6 At that, the Pharisees got together with the supporters of Herod to plan how to destroy Jesus.
Healing and throwing demons out
7 Jesus left with his disciples and went to the lake. A large crowd followed him because they had heard what he was doing. They were from Galilee, 8 Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the area surrounding Tyre and Sidon. 9 Jesus told his disciples to get a small boat ready for him so the crowd wouldn’t crush him. 10 He had healed so many people that everyone who was sick pushed forward so that they could touch him. 11 Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down at his feet and shouted, “You are God’s Son!” 12 But he strictly ordered them not to reveal who he was.
Jesus appoints twelve apostles
13 Jesus went up on a mountain and called those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve and called them apostles. He appointed them to be with him, to be sent out to preach, 15 and to have authority to throw out demons. 16 He appointed twelve: Peter, a name he gave Simon; 17 James and John, Zebedee’s sons, whom he nicknamed Boanerges, which means “sons of Thunder”; 18 and Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, Alphaeus’ son; Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean;[a] 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
Misunderstandings about Jesus
20 Jesus entered a house. A crowd gathered again so that it was impossible for him and his followers even to eat. 21 When his family heard what was happening, they came to take control of him. They were saying, “He’s out of his mind!”
22 The legal experts came down from Jerusalem. Over and over they charged, “He’s possessed by Beelzebul. He throws out demons with the authority of the ruler of demons.”
23 When Jesus called them together he spoke to them in a parable: “How can Satan throw Satan out? 24 A kingdom involved in civil war will collapse. 25 And a house torn apart by divisions will collapse. 26 If Satan rebels against himself and is divided, then he can’t endure. He’s done for. 27 No one gets into the house of a strong person and steals anything without first tying up the strong person. Only then can the house be burglarized. 28 I assure you that human beings will be forgiven for everything, for all sins and insults of every kind. 29 But whoever insults the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. That person is guilty of a sin with consequences that last forever.” 30 He said this because the legal experts were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”
31 His mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent word to him, calling for him. 32 A crowd was seated around him, and those sent to him said, “Look, your mother, brothers, and sisters are outside looking for you.”
33 He replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Looking around at those seated around him in a circle, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister, and mother.”
Footnotes
- Mark 3:18 Or zealot
Mark 3
King James Version
3 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,
8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.
9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;
17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.
22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.
30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?
34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
Mark 3
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Is It Lawful To Heal On The Sabbath? Jesus Heals a Man, Inflaming The Pharisees
3 And He entered again into the synagogue. And there was a man there having his hand having become-withered. 2 And they were closely-watching Him to see if He would cure him on the Sabbath, in order that they might accuse Him. 3 And He says to the man having the withered hand, “Arise into the middle”. 4 And He says to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do-harm[a], to save a life or to kill?” But the ones were being silent. 5 And having looked-around-at them with anger, while being deeply-grieved at the hardness of their heart, He says to the man, “Stretch out the hand”. And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 And having gone out, the Pharisees immediately were giving counsel against Him with the Herodians[b] so that they might destroy Him.
A Great Multitude Comes To Jesus To Be Healed
7 And Jesus withdrew[c] to the sea with His disciples, and a great multitude from Galilee followed. And from Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea and beyond the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude hearing all that He was doing came to Him. 9 And He said to His disciples that a small-boat should be standing-ready-for Him because of the crowd— in order that they might not be pressing[d] Him. 10 For He cured many, so that they were falling-upon Him in order that all who were having scourges[e] might touch Him. 11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they were seeing Him, were falling-before Him and crying-out, saying that “You are the Son of God”. 12 And He was sternly rebuking them in order that they might not make Him known.
The Twelve Are Appointed
13 And He goes up on the mountain and summons whom He was wanting. And they went to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve, whom He also named apostles, in order that they might be with Him, and in order that He might send them out to proclaim 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons. 16 And He appointed the twelve, even Peter (He put the name on Simon), 17 and James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James (and He put on them the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon, the Cananaean[f], 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also handed Him over.
Scribes Say Jesus Uses Satan’s Power. Such Blasphemy of The Spirit Will Not Be Forgiven
20 And He goes into a house[g]. And the crowd comes-together again, so that they were not even able to eat bread. 21 And having heard-of it, the ones[h] from Him went-forth to take-hold-of [i] Him. For they were saying[j] that “He lost-His-senses”. 22 And the scribes having come down from Jerusalem were saying that “He has Beelzebul”, and that “He is casting-out the demons by[k] the ruler of the demons”. 23 And having summoned them, He was speaking to them in parables: “How is Satan able to be casting-out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom is not able to stand; 25 and if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan stood-up against himself and was divided, he is not able to stand, but he has an end[l]. 27 But no one, having entered into the house of the strong man, can plunder his things unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder[m] his house. 28 Truly I say to you that all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven to the sons of humans[n], whatever they may blaspheme. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit does not have forgiveness forever, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because[o] they were saying “He has an unclean spirit”.
Whoever Does The Will of God Is My Family
31 And His mother and His brothers come. And while standing outside, they sent-forth a message to Him, calling Him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around Him. And they say to Him, “Behold— Your mother and Your brothers and Your sisters are outside seeking You”. 33 And having responded to them, He says “Who is My mother and My brothers?” 34 And having looked-around-at the ones sitting in a circle around Him, He says “Look— My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God— this one is My brother and sister and mother”.
Footnotes
- Mark 3:4 The answer is that the day makes no difference. It is good to do good and wrong to do harm on all seven days. The Sabbath is a day of rest from one’s work, not from doing good.
- Mark 3:6 That is, those politically linked to Herod’s family. As a false prophet, being a Sabbath-breaker, Jesus is a religious and political problem for these leaders.
- Mark 3:7 Or, went-back.
- Mark 3:9 Or, crowding, squeezing.
- Mark 3:10 That is, ailments perceived as a scourge from God.
- Mark 3:18 That is, the zealot.
- Mark 3:20 Mark may mean ‘His house’, connecting this with the coming of His family in v 31.
- Mark 3:21 That is, the relatives of Jesus, who arrive in v 31; or, the friends or associates of Jesus. These people heard of the problem and went forth to solve it.
- Mark 3:21 Or, take charge of, seize, take custody of.
- Mark 3:21 This could be the statement of a well-intentioned mother or disciple who felt the need to rescue Jesus (Have some sense! Come and eat!); or, the misinformed statement of brothers who did not understand His mission or believe in Him (Jn 7:5); or, an impersonal statement meaning ‘people were saying’.
- Mark 3:22 Or, in union with.
- Mark 3:26 That is, he is finished; he is defeated.
- Mark 3:27 Jesus is binding Satan by casting out demons, and will plunder his house.
- Mark 3:28 That is, the human race.
- Mark 3:30 This is Mark’s explanation of why Jesus said this, and what Jesus meant by it. If Jesus does a miracle which you fully acknowledge but attribute to Satan, what more can be done? You have called the Spirit of God Satan. You have cut yourself off from God.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
