Old/New Testament

²³ A man who had a bad spirit in him was in the meeting house at that time.

²⁴ He called out, `Jesus of Nazareth, what do you want to do to us? Have you come to kill us? I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God.'

²⁵ Jesus said to the spirit, `Be quiet! Come out of him!'

²⁶ The bad spirit threw the man around. It called out loud and then it came out of the man.

²⁷ The people were all surprised. They said one to another, `What is this? Is not this a new teaching? He tells the bad spirits what to do and even they obey him'

²⁸ The people all around Galilee heard right away about Jesus.

²⁹ As soon as they came out of the meeting house, they went to the home of Simon and Andrew. James and John went also.

³⁰ Simon's wife's mother was sick and was lying down. She had a fever. Right away they told Jesus about her.

³¹ Jesus went to her. He took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her right away, and she began to do things to help them.

³² That evening when the sun went down, people brought to Jesus all the sick people and those who had bad spirits.

³³ All the people in the city crowded around the door.

³⁴ He healed many sick people. He drove the bad spirits out of people. And he did not let them speak because they knew who he was.

³⁵ The next morning Jesus got up long before daylight. He went out to a place by himself. There he talked with God.

³⁶ Simon and his friends went out after Jesus.

³⁷ When they found him they said, `Everyone is looking for you.'

³⁸ Jesus said, `We must go to the next towns. I must tell the good news to the people there too. That is why I came here.'

³⁹ Then Jesus talked to the people in all the meeting houses in all the country of Galilee. He also made the bad spirits come out of people.

⁴⁰ A man who was sick with leprosy [a bad skin disease] came to him. He kneeled down and begged Jesus saying, `I know you can heal me if you want to.'

⁴¹ Jesus was very sorry for him. He put out his hand and touched him. He said, `I want to. Be healed.'

⁴² As soon as he said this, the disease left the man and he was healed.

⁴³ Jesus talked strongly to him and sent him away.

⁴⁴ He said, `Do not tell anyone about this. But go and let the priest look at you. Moses gave a law about the gift you must give to God when you are healed. Give it to prove to people that you are healed.'

⁴⁵ But the man went out and told everyone everywhere what had happened to him. Because he did this, Jesus could not go into any large town freely. He stayed in places where only a few people were. There people came to him from everywhere.