^5:9Jesus¹³ asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “My name is Legion,¹⁴ for we are many.” ^5:10He begged Jesus¹⁵ repeatedly not to send them out of the region. ^5:11There on the hillside,¹⁶ a great herd of pigs was feeding. ^5:12And the demonic spirits¹⁷ begged him, “Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them.” ^5:13Jesus¹⁸ gave them permission.¹⁹ So²⁰ the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two thousand were drowned in the lake.

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Footnotes

13 Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 The name Legion means “thousands,” a word taken from a Latin term for a large group of soldiers. The term not only suggests a multiple possession, but also adds a military feel to the account. This is a true battle.
15 Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 Grk “mountain,” but this might give the English reader the impression of a far higher summit.
17 Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 Many have discussed why Jesus gave them permission, since the animals were destroyed. However, this is another example of a miracle that is a visual lesson. The demons are destructive: They were destroying the man. They destroyed the pigs. They destroy whatever they touch. The point was to take demonic influence seriously, as well as Jesus’ power over it as a picture of the larger battle for human souls. There would be no doubt how the man’s transformation had taken place.
20 Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate a conclusion and transition in the narrative.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

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

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“What is your name?” he asked him.

“My name is Legion,” he answered him, “because we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region.

A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.” So he gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.

NLTNew Living Translation

Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”

And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.

There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”

So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And he was asking him “What is your name?” And he said to him, “My name is Legion, because we are many.” And he was imploring him many times that he would not send them out of the region. Now a large herd of pigs was there at the hill feeding, and they implored him, saying, “Send us to the pigs so that we may enter into them.” And he permitted them. And the unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs, and the herd—about two thousand—rushed headlong down the steep slope into the sea and were drowned in the sea.

KJV 1900King James Version

And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

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