Mark 1–8

THE MESSIAH’S HERALD

1The beginning^a of the gospel^b of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.^{Ac 2}As it is written in Isaiah^d the prophet:^Be

See, I am sending my messenger^f ahead of you;

he will prepare your way.^CDg

³A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:^h

Prepare the way for the Lord;ⁱ

make his paths straight!^Ej

⁴John came baptizing^Fk in the wilderness^l and proclaiming a baptism of repentance^m for the forgivenessⁿ of sins.^{o 5}The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem^p were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan^q River, confessing^r their sins.^{s 6}John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts^t and wild honey.^u

⁷He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful^v than I am is coming after me.^w I am not worthy^x to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals.^{y 8}I baptize you with^G water,^z but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”^aa

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

⁹In^ab those days Jesus came from Nazareth^ac in Galilee^ad and was baptized in the Jordan by John. ¹⁰As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens^ae being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice^af came from heaven:^ag “You are my beloved^ah Son;^ai with you I am well-pleased.”^aj

THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS

¹²Immediately^ak the Spirit^al drove^am him into the wilderness.^{an 13}He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted^ao by Satan.^ap He was with the wild animals,^aq and the angels^ar were serving him.

MINISTRY IN GALILEE

¹⁴After^as John was arrested,^at Jesus went to Galilee,^au proclaiming^av the good news^HIaw of God:^{ax 15}“The time^ay is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God^az has come^ba near.^bb Repent^bc and believe^bd the good news!”

THE FIRST DISCIPLES

¹⁶As^be he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee,^bf he saw Simon^bg and Andrew,^bh Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea^bi—for they were fishermen. ¹⁷“Follow me,”^bj Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for^Jbk people.”^{bl 18}Immediately they left their nets and followed^bm him.^{bn 19}Going on a little farther, he saw James^bo the son of Zebedee^bp and his brother John^bq in a boat putting their nets in order. ²⁰Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.^br

DRIVING OUT AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT

²¹They^bs went into Capernaum,^bt and right away he entered the synagogue^bu on the Sabbath^bv and began to teach.^{bw 22}They were astonished^bx at his teaching^by because he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not like the scribes.

²³Just then a man with an unclean^bz spirit^ca was in their synagogue.^cb He cried out, ²⁴“What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?^cc Have you come to destroy^cd us? I know who you are—the Holy^ce One of God!”^cf

²⁵Jesus rebuked^cg him saying, “Be silent,^ch and come out of him!” ²⁶And the unclean spirit threw him into convulsions,^ci shouted with a loud voice, and came out of him.

²⁷They were all amazed,^cj and so they began to ask^ck each other, “What is this? A new teaching^cl with authority!^Acm He commands even the unclean^cn spirits,^co and they obey him.” ²⁸At once the news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity of Galilee.^a

HEALINGS AT CAPERNAUM

²⁹As^b soon as they left the synagogue,^c they went into Simon^d and Andrew’s^e house^f with James^g and John.^{h 30}Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. ³¹So he went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up.ⁱ The fever^j left her,^B and she began to serve^k them.^l

³²When^m evening came, after the sun had set, they brought to him all those who were sickⁿ and demon-possessed.^{o 33}The whole town was assembled at the door, ³⁴and he healed^p many who were sick with various diseases^q and drove out^r many demons.^s And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.^t

PREACHING IN GALILEE

³⁵Very^u early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place;^v and there he was praying.^{w 36}Simon^x and his companions searched for him, ³⁷and when they found him they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

³⁸And he said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach^y there too. This is why I have come.”

A MAN CLEANSED

³⁹He went into all of Galilee,^z preaching in their synagogues^aa and driving out demons. ⁴⁰Then^ab a man with leprosy^ac came to him and, on his knees,^Dad begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”^{ae 41}Moved with compassion,^Eaf Jesus reached out his hand and touched^ag him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.” ⁴²Immediately the leprosy^ah left him, and he was made clean. ⁴³Then he sternly warned^ai him and sent him away^aj at once, ⁴⁴telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone;^ak but go and show^al yourself to the priest,^am and offer^an what Moses commanded for your cleansing,^ao as a testimony^ap to them.”^{F 45}Yet he went out and began to proclaim^aq it widely and to spread the news,^ar with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But he was out in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere.

THE SON OF MAN FORGIVES AND HEALS

2When^as he entered Capernaum^at again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ²So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word^au to them. ³They came to him bringing a paralytic,^av carried by four of them. ⁴Since they were not able to bring him to^A Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. ⁵Seeing their faith,^aw Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins^ax are forgiven.”^ay

⁶But some of the scribes^az were sitting there, questioning^ba in their hearts: ⁷“Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming!^bb Who can forgive^bc sins^bd but God alone?”^be

⁸Right away^bf Jesus perceived in his spirit^bg that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier:^bh to say to the paralytic,^bi ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’?^{bj 10}But so that you may know that the Son of Man^bk has authority^bl on earth to forgive sins”^bm—he told the paralytic—¹¹“I tell you: get up,^bn take your mat, and go home.”

¹²Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded^bo and gave glory^bp to God,^bq saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”^br

THE CALL OF LEVI

¹³Jesus^bs went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching^bt them. ¹⁴Then, passing by, he saw Levi^bu the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office,^bv and he said to him, “Follow me,”^bw and he got up and followed^bx him.

¹⁵While he was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors^by and sinners^bz were eating^B with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who were following him. ¹⁶When the scribes^ca who were Pharisees^Ccb saw that he was eating^a with sinners^b and tax collectors,^c they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat^D with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷When Jesus heard this, he told them, “It is not those who are well who need^d a doctor,^e but those who are sick.^f I didn’t come to call the righteous,^g but sinners.”^h

A QUESTION ABOUT FASTING

¹⁸Nowⁱ John’s^j disciples^k and the Pharisees^El were fasting.^m People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁹Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groomⁿ is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But the time^C will come^o when the groom will be taken away from them,^p and then they will fast^q on that day. ²¹No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth,^r and a worse tear is made. ²²And no one puts new wine^s into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst^t the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.”

LORD OF THE SABBATH

²³On^u the Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and his disciples^v began to make their way, picking some heads of grain. ²⁴The Pharisees^w said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful^x on the Sabbath?”

²⁵He said to them, “Have you never read what David^y and those who were with him did when he was in need^z and hungry^aa—²⁶how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar^ab the high priest^ac and ate the bread of the Presence^ad—which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests^ae—and also gave some to his companions?” ²⁷Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for^A man and not man for the Sabbath.^{af 28}So then, the Son of Man^ag is Lord^ah even of the Sabbath.”^ai

3Jesus^aj entered the synagogue^ak again, and a man was there who had a shriveled^al hand. ²In order to accuse^am him, they were watching him closely^an to see whether he would heal^ao him on the Sabbath.^{ap 3}He told the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand before us.” ⁴Then he said to them, “Is it lawful^aq to do good^ar on the Sabbath or to do evil,^as to save life^at or to kill?”^au But they were silent.^{av 5}After looking around at them with anger,^aw he was grieved at the hardness^ax of their hearts and told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.^{ay 6}Immediately the Pharisees^az went out and started plotting^ba with the Herodians^bb against him, how they might kill^bc him.

MINISTERING TO THE MULTITUDE

⁷Jesus^bd departed with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee,^be and a large crowd followed from Judea,^{bf 8}Jerusalem,^bg Idumea, beyond the Jordan,^bh and around Tyre^bi and Sidon.^bj The large crowd came to him because they heard about everything he was doing. ⁹Then he told his disciples to have a small boat^bk ready for him, so that the crowd wouldn’t crush…