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
Legacy Standard Bible
Jesus Saves a Man with Many Demons
5 (A)Then they came to the other side of the sea, into the region of the Gerasenes. 2 And when He got out of (B)the boat, immediately a man from the tombs (C)with an unclean spirit met Him, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 And constantly, night and day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and gashing himself with stones. 6 And seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and crying out with a loud voice, he *said, “[a](D)What do I have to do with You, Jesus, (E)Son of (F)the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 8 For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he *said to Him, “My name is (G)Legion; for we are many.” 10 And he began pleading with Him earnestly not to send them out of the region. 11 Now there was a large herd of swine feeding [b]nearby on the mountain. 12 And the demons pleaded with Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13 And Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.
14 And their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they *came to Jesus and *observed the (H)demon-possessed man sitting down, (I)clothed and (J)in his right mind, the very man who had the “(K)legion”; and they became frightened. 16 And those who had seen it recounted to them how this had happened to the (L)demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17 And they began to (M)plead with Him to leave their region. 18 (N)And as He was getting into the boat, the man who had been (O)demon-possessed was pleading with Him that he might [c]accompany Him. 19 And He did not let him, but He *said to him, “(P)Go home to your people and report to them [d]what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to (Q)preach in the (R)Decapolis [e]what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was marveling.
Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’ Daughter
21 (S)And when Jesus had crossed over again in (T)the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He [f]stayed (U)by the seashore. 22 (V)And one of (W)the synagogue [g]officials named Jairus *came up, and on seeing Him, *fell at His feet 23 and *pleaded with Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come, that by coming, (X)You may lay Your hands on her, so that she will [h]be saved and live.” 24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.
25 And a woman—who had a hemorrhage for twelve years 26 and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— 27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His garment. 28 For she was saying, “If I just touch His garments, I will [i]be saved from this.” 29 And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she knew within her body that she had been healed of her (Y)affliction. 30 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that (Z)the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and was saying, “Who touched My garments?” 31 And His disciples were saying to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32 And He was looking around to see the woman who had done this. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, (AA)your faith has [j]saved you; (AB)go in peace and be healed of your (AC)affliction.”
35 While He was still speaking, they *came from the house of the (AD)synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” 36 But Jesus, overhearing what had been spoken, *said to the (AE)synagogue official, “(AF)Do not be afraid, only [k]believe.” 37 And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except (AG)Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 And they *came to the house of the (AH)synagogue official; and He *saw a commotion, and people loudly crying and wailing. 39 And entering in, He *said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and crying? The child has not died, but is asleep.” 40 And they began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He *took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and *entered the room where the child was. 41 And taking the child by the hand, He *said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, (AI)I say to you, arise!”). 42 And immediately the little girl stood up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. 43 And He (AJ)gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that some food should be given to her to eat.
Footnotes
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