Old/New Testament

²⁶ They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarene people. Their country is on the other side of the sea from Galilee.

²⁷ As Jesus got out of the boat a man met him from the town. He had bad spirits in him. He had not worn clothes for a long time. He did not live in a house, but among the graves.

²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he screamed loudly and bowed down in front of him. He called out loud, `Jesus, Son of the Highest One! What do you want to do to me? I beg you, do not hurt me.'

²⁹ He said this because Jesus had told the bad spirit to come out of the man. Many times the spirit had taken hold of the man. People had guarded him. They had tied him with chains and strong ropes. But he broke the chains and ropes. The bad spirit drove him into the desert.

³⁰ Jesus asked him, `What is your name?' He answered, `My name is An Army.' He said this because many bad spirits had gone into him.

³¹ The spirits begged Jesus not to send them away to the big hole that has no bottom.

³² Many pigs were feeding on the hill there. The spirits begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. Jesus let them.

³³ The spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs. They ran fast down the steep hill into the sea. They died in the water.

³⁴ The men who cared for the pigs saw what happened. They ran and told it to the people in the town and in the country.

³⁵ The people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus. They saw the man from whom the bad spirits had gone. He was sitting near the feet of Jesus. He had clothes on and was not crazy any more. The people were afraid.

³⁶ Those who had seen it told the people how the man had been saved from the bad spirits.

³⁷ All the people in the country around the Gadarenes asked Jesus to go away from them to some other place. They were very much afraid. So Jesus got into a boat and went back.

³⁸ The man from whom the bad spirits had gone begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him away.

³⁹ He said, `Go home and tell the people what God has done for you.' So the man went away and told the people all through the town what Jesus had done for him.

⁴⁰ When Jesus came back, the people were very glad to see him. They were all waiting for him.

⁴¹ A man named Jairus came to him. He was a ruler in the meeting house. He bowed down in front of Jesus and begged him to come to his house.

⁴² He had only one daughter She was about twelve years old. And she was dying. Many people went with Jesus and pushed against him.

⁴³ A woman among them had a sickness for twelve years. She was bleeding all the time. She had given all her money to the doctors, but no one had been able to heal her.

⁴⁴ She came behind Jesus and touched his clothes. The bleeding stopped right away.

⁴⁵ Jesus said, `Who touched me?' Everyone said, `Not I!' Peter said, `Master, the people are all around you and push you.'

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, `Someone touched me. I know that power to heal went out from me.'

⁴⁷ The woman saw that he knew about her. So she came trembling and bowed down in front of him. She told him in front of all the people why she had touched him. She told him that she had been healed right away.

⁴⁸ Jesus said to her, `Daughter, you were healed because you believed. Go and do not be troubled.'

⁴⁹ While he was still talking, a man came from the ruler's house. He said, `Your daughter has died. Do not trouble the Teacher any more.'

⁵⁰ Jesus heard it. He said, `Do not fear. Only believe and she will be healed.'

⁵¹ When Jesus came to the house, he did not let the people go in with him. The only people he let go in were Peter, John and James, and the girl's father and mother.

⁵² All the people were crying and making a lot of noise because she had died. But he said, `Do not cry. She is not dead, but sleeping.'

⁵³ They laughed at him because they knew she was dead.

⁵⁴ He took her hand and called out, `Little girl, get up.'

⁵⁵ Her life came back and she got up right away. He told them to give her something to eat.

⁵⁶ Her parents were very much surprised. Jesus said, `Do not tell anyone what has happened.'