Mark 1:1–8:38

The Messiah’s Herald

1The beginning ^aof the gospel ^bof Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ^c2As it is written in Isaiah ^dthe prophet: ^ef

Look, I am sending My messenger ^gahead of You,

who will prepare Your way. ^h

³A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ⁱ

Prepare the way for the Lord; ^j

make His paths straight! ^kl

⁴John came baptizing ^mnin the wilderness ^oand preaching a baptism of repentance ^pqfor the forgiveness ^rof sins. ^s5The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem ^twere flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan ^uRiver as they confessed ^vtheir sins. ^w6John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts ^xand wild honey. ^y7He was preaching: “Someone more powerful ^zthan I will come after me. ^aI am not worthy ^bto stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals. ^c8I have baptized you with ^dwater, ^ebut He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” ^f

The Baptism of Jesus

⁹In ^gthose days Jesus came from Nazareth ^hin Galilee ⁱand was baptized in the Jordan by John. ¹⁰As soon as He came up out of the water, He saw the heavens ^jbeing torn open and the Spirit descending to Him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice ^kcame from heaven: ^l

You are My beloved ^mSon; ⁿ

I take delight ^oin You! ^p

The Temptation of Jesus

¹²Immediately ^qthe Spirit ^rdrove ^sHim into the wilderness. ^t13He was in the wilderness 40 days, being tempted ^uby Satan. ^vHe was with the wild animals, ^wand the angels ^xbegan to serve Him.

Ministry in Galilee

¹⁴After ^yJohn was arrested, ^zJesus went to Galilee, ^apreaching ^bthe good news ^cdeof God: ^fg15“The time ^his fulfilled, and the kingdom of God ⁱhas come ^jnear. ^kRepent ^land believe ^min the good news!”

The First Disciples

¹⁶As ⁿHe was passing along by the Sea of Galilee, ^oHe saw Simon ^pand Andrew, ^qSimon’s brother. They were casting a net into the sea, ^rsince they were fishermen.

¹⁷“Follow Me,” ^sJesus told them, “and I will make you fish for ^tupeople!” ^v18Immediately they left their nets and followed ^wHim. ^x19Going on a little farther, He saw James ^ythe son of Zebedee ^zand his brother John. ^aThey were in their boat mending their nets. ²⁰Immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him. ^b

Driving Out an Unclean Spirit

²¹Then ^cthey went into Capernaum, ^dand right away He entered the synagogue ^eon the Sabbath ^fand began to teach. ^g22They were astonished ^hat His teaching ⁱbecause, unlike the scribes, ^jHe was teaching them as one having authority.

²³Just then a man with an unclean ^kspirit ^lwas in their synagogue. ^mHe cried out, ⁿ²⁴“What do You have to do with us, ^oJesus—Nazarene? ^pHave You come to destroy ^qus? I know who You are—the Holy ^rOne of God!” ^s

²⁵But Jesus rebuked ^thim and said, “Be quiet, ^uvand come out of him!” ²⁶And the unclean spirit convulsed him, ^wshouted with a loud voice, and came out of him.

²⁷Then they were all amazed, ^xso they began to argue ^ywith one another, saying, “What is this? A new teaching ^zwith authority! ^abHe commands even the unclean ^cspirits, ^dand they obey Him.” ²⁸News about Him then spread throughout the entire vicinity of Galilee. ^e

Healings at Capernaum

²⁹As ^fsoon as they left the synagogue, ^gthey went into Simon ^hand Andrew’s ⁱhouse ^jwith James ^kand John. ^l30Simon’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. ^mThe fever ⁿleft her, ^oand she began to serve ^pthem. ^q

³²When ^revening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all those who were sick ^sand those who were demon-possessed. ^t33The whole town was assembled at the door, ³⁴and He healed ^umany who were sick with various diseases ^vand drove out ^wmany demons. ^xBut He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him. ^y

Preaching in Galilee

³⁵Very ^zearly in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. ^aAnd He was praying ^bthere. ³⁶Simon ^cand his companions went searching for Him. ³⁷They found Him and said, “Everyone’s looking for You!”

³⁸And He said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach ^dthere too. This is why I have come.” ³⁹So He went into all of Galilee, ^epreaching in their synagogues ^fand driving out demons.

A Man Cleansed

⁴⁰Then ^ga man with a serious skin disease ^hcame to Him and, on his knees, ^ijbegged Him: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” ^k

⁴¹Moved with compassion, ^lJesus reached out His hand and touched ^mhim. “I am willing,” He told him. “Be made clean.” ⁴²Immediately the disease ⁿleft him, and he was healed. ^o43Then He sternly warned ^phim and sent him away ^qat once, ⁴⁴telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; ^rbut go and show ^syourself to the priest, ^tand offer ^uwhat Moses prescribed for your cleansing, ^vas a testimony ^wto them.” ⁴⁵Yet he went out and began to proclaim ^xit widely and to spread the news, ^ywith the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But He was out in deserted places, and they would come to Him from everywhere.

The Son of Man Forgives and Heals

2When ^zHe entered Capernaum ^aagain 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 message ^bto them. ³Then they came to Him bringing a paralytic, ^ccarried by four men. ⁴Since they were not able to bring him to ^dJesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above where He was. And when they had broken through, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

⁵Seeing their faith, ^eJesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins ^fare forgiven.” ^g

⁶But some of the scribes ^hwere sitting there, thinking ⁱto themselves: ^j7“Why does He speak like this? He’s blaspheming! ^kWho can forgive ^lsins ^mbut God alone?” ⁿ

⁸Right away ^oJesus understood in His spirit ^pthat they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ^q9Which is easier: ^rto say to the paralytic, ^s‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’? ^t10But so you may know that the ^•Son of Man ^uhas authority ^von earth to forgive sins,” ^wHe told the paralytic, ¹¹“I tell you: get up, ^xpick up your mat, and go home.”

¹²Immediately he got up, picked up the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded ^yand gave glory ^zto God, ^asaying, “We have never seen anything like this!” ^b

The Call of Matthew

¹³Then ^cJesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to Him, and He taught ^dthem. ¹⁴Then, moving on, He saw Levi ^ethe son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, ^fand He said to him, “Follow Me!” ^gSo he got up and followed ^hHim.

Dining with Sinners

¹⁵While He was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors ⁱand sinners ^jwere also guests ^klwith Jesus and His disciples, because there were many who were following Him. ¹⁶When the scribes ^mof the Pharisees ^nosaw that He was eating ^pwith sinners ^qand tax collectors, ^rthey asked His disciples, “Why does He eat ^swith tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷When Jesus heard this, He told them, “Those who are well don’t need ^ta doctor, ^ubut the sick ^vdo need one. I didn’t come to call the righteous, ^wbut sinners.” ^x

A Question about Fasting

¹⁸Now ^yJohn’s ^zdisciples ^aand the Pharisees ^bcwere fasting. ^dPeople 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 ^ecannot fast while the groom ^fis with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But the time ^gwill come ^hwhen the groom is taken away from them, ⁱand then they will fast ^jin that day. ²¹No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, ^kand a worse tear is made. ²²And no one puts new wine ^linto old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst ^mthe skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. ⁿBut new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Lord of the Sabbath

²³On ^othe Sabbath He was going through the grainfields, and His disciples ^pbegan to make their way picking some heads of grain. ²⁴The Pharisees ^qsaid to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful ^ron the Sabbath?”

²⁵He said to them, “Have you never read what David ^sand those who were with him did when he was in need ^tand hungry ^u— ²⁶how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar ^vthe high priest ^wand ate the ^•sacred bread ^x—which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests ^y—and also gave some to his companions?” ²⁷Then He told them, “The Sabbath was made for ^zman and not man for ^athe Sabbath. ^b28Therefore, the Son of Man ^cis Lord ^deven of the Sabbath.” ^e

The Man with the Paralyzed Hand

3Now ^fHe entered the synagogue ^gagain, and a man was there who had a paralyzed ^hhand. ²In order to accuse ⁱHim, they were watching Him closely ^jto see whether He would heal ^khim on the Sabbath. ^l3He told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand before us.” ^m4Then He said to them, “Is it lawful ⁿon the Sabbath to do what is good ^oor to do what is evil, ^pto save life ^qor to kill?” ^rBut they were silent. ^s5After looking around at them with anger ^tand sorrow at the hardness ^uof their hearts, He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. ^v6Immediately the Pharisees ^wwent out and started plotting ^xwith the Herodians ^yagainst Him, how they might destroy ^zHim.

Ministering to the Multitude

⁷Jesus ^adeparted with His disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee, ^bJudea, ^c8Jerusalem, ^dIdumea, beyond the Jordan, ^eand around Tyre ^fand Sidon. ^gThe large crowd came to Him because they heard about everything He was doing. ⁹Then He told His disciples to have a small boat ^hready for Him, so the crowd would not crush Him. ¹⁰Since He had…