Demons Ask Jesus to Let Them Live in Pigs ^(A)

5 Jesus and His followers came to the other side of the sea to the country of the Gerasenes. ² He got out of the boat. At once a man came to Him from among the graves. This man had a demon. ³ He lived among the graves. No man could tie him, even with chains. ⁴ Many times he had been tied with chains on his feet. He had broken the chains as well as the irons from his hands and legs. No man was strong enough to keep him tied. ⁵ Night and day he was among the graves and in the mountains. He would cry out and cut himself with stones.

⁶ When the man with the demon saw Jesus a long way off, he ran and worshiped Him. ⁷ The man spoke with a loud voice and said, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I ask You, in the name of God, do not hurt me!” ⁸ At the same time, Jesus was saying, “Come out of the man, you demon!” ⁹ Jesus asked the demon, “What is your name?” He said, “My name is Many, for there are many of us.” ¹⁰ The demons asked Jesus not to send them out of the country. ¹¹ There were many pigs feeding on the mountain side. ¹² The demons asked Him saying, “Send us to the pigs that we may go into them.” ¹³ Then Jesus let them do what they wanted to do. So they went into the pigs. The pigs ran fast down the side of the mountain and into the sea and died. There were about 2,000. ¹⁴ The men who cared for the pigs ran fast to the town and out to the country telling what had been done. People came to see what had happened. ¹⁵ They came to Jesus and saw the man who had had the demons. He was sitting with clothes on and in his right mind. The men were afraid. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it told what had happened to the man who had had the demons. They told what had happened to the pigs. ¹⁷ Then they asked Jesus to leave their country.

¹⁸ Jesus got into the boat. The man who had had the demons asked to go with Him. ¹⁹ Jesus would not let him go but said to him, “Go home to your own people. Tell them what great things the Lord has done for you. Tell them how He had pity on you.” ²⁰ The man went his way and told everyone in the land of Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him. All the people were surprised and wondered.

Demons Ask Jesus to Let Them Live in Pigs ^(A)

²⁶ They came to the land of the Gadarenes, which is on the other side of the country of Galilee. ²⁷ As Jesus stepped out on land, a man met Him who had come from the city. This man had demons in him. For a long time he had worn no clothes. He did not live in a house, but lived among the graves. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he got down before Him and cried with a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High? I beg of You not to hurt me!” ²⁹ For Jesus had spoken to the demon to come out of the man. Many times the demon had taken hold of him. The man had to be tied with chains. But he would break the chains and be taken by the demon into the desert.

³⁰ Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And the demon answered, “Many,” because many demons had gone into him. ³¹ The demons asked Jesus not to send them to the hole without a bottom in the earth. ³² There were many pigs feeding on the side of the mountain. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. Jesus said they could. ³³ The demons came out of the man and went into the pigs. Then the many pigs ran down the side of the mountain into the water and died.

³⁴ The men who cared for the pigs ran fast and told what had happened in the town and in the country. ³⁵ People came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the man from whom the demons had been sent. He was sitting at the feet of Jesus with clothes on and had the right use of his mind. The people were afraid. ³⁶ Those who had seen it told how the man who had had the demons was healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the country of the Gadarenes begged Jesus to go away from them. They were very much afraid. Jesus got into the boat and went back to the other side.

³⁸ The man out of whom the demons had gone begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus sent him away and said, ³⁹ “Go back to your house and tell everything God has done for you.” He went back and told all the people of the city what great things Jesus had done for him.