Mark 2–3

Chapter 2

¹And he entered again into Capernaum after several days, and it was reported that he was at the house; ²and straightway many were gathered together, so that there was no longer any room, not even at the door; and he spoke the word to them. ³And there come to him men bringing a paralytic, borne by four; ⁴and, not being able to get near to him on account of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was, and having dug it up they let down the couch on which the paralytic lay. ⁵But Jesus, seeing their faith, says to the paralytic, Child, thy sins are forgiven thee. ⁶But certain of the scribes were there sitting, and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷Why does this man thus speak? he blasphemes. Who is able to forgive sins except God alone? ⁸And straightway Jesus, knowing in his spirit that they are reasoning thus within themselves, said to them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy couch and walk? ¹⁰But that ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, he says to the paralytic, ¹¹ To thee I say, Arise, take up thy couch and go to thine house. ¹²And he rose up straightway, and, having taken up his couch, went out before them all, so that all were amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it thus.

¹³And he went out again by the sea, and all the crowd came to him, and he taught them. ¹⁴And passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax-office, and says to him, Follow me. And he rose up and followed him. ¹⁵And it came to pass as he lay at table in his house, that many tax-gatherers and sinners lay at table with Jesus and his disciples; for they were many, and they followed him. ¹⁶And the scribes and the Pharisees, seeing him eating with sinners and tax-gatherers, said to his disciples, Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax-gatherers and sinners? ¹⁷And Jesus having heard it says to them, They that are strong have not need of a physician, but those who are ill. I have not come to call righteous men, but sinners.

¹⁸And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting; and they come and say to him, Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? ¹⁹And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bride-chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. ²⁰But days will come when the bridegroom shall have been taken away from them, and then shall they fast in that day. ²¹No one sews a patch of new cloth on an old garment: otherwise its new filling-up takes from the old stuff, and there is a worse rent. ²²And no one puts new wine into old skins; otherwise the wine bursts the skins, and the wine is poured out, and the skins will be destroyed; but new wine is to be put into new skins. ²³And it came to pass that he went on the sabbath through the cornfields; and his disciples began to walk on, plucking the ears. ²⁴And the Pharisees said to him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath what is not lawful? ²⁵And he said to them, Have ye never read what David did when he had need and hungered, he and those with him, ²⁶how he entered into the house of God, in the section of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the shew-bread, which it is not lawful unless for the priests to eat, and gave even to those that were with him? ²⁷And he said to them, The sabbath was made on account of man, not man on account of the sabbath; ²⁸so that the Son of man is lord of the sabbath also.

Chapter 3

¹And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was there a man having his hand dried up. ²And they watched him if he would heal him on the sabbath, that they might accuse him. ³And he says to the man who had his hand dried up, Rise up and come into the midst. ⁴And he says to them, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill? But they were silent. ⁵And looking round upon them with anger, distressed at the hardening of their heart, he says to the man, Stretch out thy hand. And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. ⁶And the Pharisees going out straightway with the Herodians took counsel against him, how they might destroy him. ⁷And Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea; and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, ⁸and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea and beyond the Jordan; and they of around Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, having heard what things he did, came to him. ⁹And he spoke to his disciples, in order that a little ship should wait upon him on account of the crowd, that they might not press upon him. ¹⁰For he healed many, so that they beset him that they might touch him, as many as had plagues. ¹¹And the unclean spirits, when they beheld him, fell down before him, and cried saying, Thou art the Son of God. ¹²And he rebuked them much, that they might not make him manifest.

¹³And he goes up into the mountain, and calls whom he himself would, and they went to him. ¹⁴And he appointed twelve that they might be with him, and that he might send them to preach, ¹⁵and to have power to heal diseases, and to cast out demons. ¹⁶And he gave to Simon the surname of Peter; ¹⁷and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, and he gave them the surname of Boanerges, that is, Sons of thunder; ¹⁸and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, ¹⁹and Judas Iscariote, who also delivered him up. And they come to the house. ²⁰And again a crowd comes together, so that they cannot even eat bread. ²¹And his relatives having heard of it went out to lay hold on him, for they said, He is out of his mind.

²²And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, He has Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons he casts out demons. ²³And having called them to him, he said to them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴And if a kingdom has become divided against itself, that kingdom cannot subsist. ²⁵And if a house has become divided against itself, that house cannot subsist. ²⁶And if Satan rise up against himself, and is divided, he cannot subsist, but has an end. ²⁷But no one can, having entered into his house, plunder the goods of the strong man unless he first bind the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. ²⁸Verily I say unto you, that all sins shall be forgiven to the sons of men, and all the injurious speeches with which they may speak injuriously; ²⁹but whosoever shall speak injuriously against the Holy Spirit, to eternity has no forgiveness; but lies under the guilt of an everlasting sin; ³⁰—because they said, He has an unclean spirit.

³¹And his brethren and his mother come, and standing without sent to him calling him. ³²And a crowd sat around him. And they said to him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren seek thee without. ³³And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother or my brethren? ³⁴And looking around in a circuit at those that were sitting around him, he says, Behold my mother and my brethren: ³⁵for whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.