Luke 8:26–39

Jesus Heals a Man with Demons

²⁶Jesus and his disciples sailed on over to the territory of Gerasa,^g which is across the lake from Galilee. ²⁷As Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a man from the town who had demons in him. For a long time this man had gone without clothes and would not stay at home, but spent his time in the burial caves. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he gave a loud cry, threw himself down at his feet, and shouted, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? I beg you, don’t punish me!” ²⁹He said this because Jesus had ordered the evil spirit to go out of him. Many times it had seized him, and even though he was kept a prisoner, his hands and feet fastened with chains, he would break the chains and be driven by the demon out into the desert.

³⁰Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is ‘Mob’, “ he answered—because many demons had gone into him. ³¹The demons begged Jesus not to send them into the abyss.^h

³²There was a large herd of pigs near by, feeding on a hillside. So the demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he let them. ³³They went out of the man and into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴The men who had been taking care of the pigs saw what happened, so they ran off and spread the news in the town and among the farms. ³⁵People went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were all afraid. ³⁶Those who had seen it told the people how the man had been cured. ³⁷Then all the people from that territory asked Jesus to go away, because they were terribly afraid. So Jesus got into the boat and left. ³⁸The man from whom the demons had gone out begged Jesus, “Let me go with you.”

But Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Go back home and tell what God has done for you.”

The man went through the town, telling what Jesus had done for him.