Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

(A)They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.[a] And when Jesus[b] had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. (B)He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and (C)fell down before him. And (D)crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, (E)Son of (F)the Most High God? (G)I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is (H)Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed[c] man, the one who had had (I)the legion, sitting there, (J)clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And (K)they began to beg Jesus[d] to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and (L)tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in (M)the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 5:1 Some manuscripts Gergesenes; some Gadarenes
  2. Mark 5:2 Greek he; also verse 9
  3. Mark 5:15 Greek daimonizomai (demonized); also verses 16, 18; elsewhere rendered oppressed by demons
  4. Mark 5:17 Greek him

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man(A)

They arrived at the other side of the sea in the territory of the Gerasenes.[a] Just as Jesus[b] stepped out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. He lived among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, not even with a chain. He had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but had snapped the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one could tame him. He kept screaming night and day among the tombs and on the mountainsides, and kept cutting himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell down in front of him, screaming in a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you in the name of[c] God never to torment me!”

Jesus[d] had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” Then Jesus[e] asked him, “What’s your name?”

He told him, “My name is Legion,[f] because there are many of us.” 10 He kept pleading with Jesus[g] not to send them out of that region.

11 Now a large herd of pigs was grazing on a hillside nearby. 12 So the demons[h] begged him, “Send us among the pigs, so that we can go into them!” 13 So he let them do this. The unclean spirits came out of the man[i] and went into the pigs, and the herd of about 2,000 rushed down a steep slope into the sea and drowned there.[j]

14 Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs ran away, they reported what had happened[k] in the city and countryside. So the people[l] went to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus and saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there dressed and in his right mind, they were frightened. 16 The people who had seen it told them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. 17 So they began to beg Jesus[m] to leave their territory.

18 As Jesus[n] was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging him to let him go with him. 19 But Jesus[o] wouldn’t let him. Instead, he told him, “Go home to your family, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been to you.” 20 So the man[p] left and began proclaiming in the Decapolis[q] how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was utterly amazed.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 5:1 Other mss. read Gergesenes; still other mss. read Gadarenes
  2. Mark 5:2 Lit. he
  3. Mark 5:7 The Gk. lacks the name of
  4. Mark 5:8 Lit. Because he
  5. Mark 5:9 Lit. he
  6. Mark 5:9 A Roman legion consisted of about 6,000 men.
  7. Mark 5:10 Lit. him
  8. Mark 5:12 Lit. they
  9. Mark 5:13 The Gk. lacks of the man
  10. Mark 5:13 Lit. drowned in the sea
  11. Mark 5:14 Lit. they reported it
  12. Mark 5:14 Lit. they
  13. Mark 5:17 Lit. him
  14. Mark 5:18 Lit. he
  15. Mark 5:19 Lit. he
  16. Mark 5:20 Lit. he
  17. Mark 5:20 Lit. the Ten Cities, a loose federation of ten cities strongly influenced by Greek culture.