The Gerasene Demoniac

1 aThey came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.

2 When He got out of athe boat, immediately a man from the tombs bwith an unclean spirit met Him,

3 and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain;

4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.

5 Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones.

6 Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him;

7 and shouting with a loud voice, he * said, “1aWhat business do we have with each other, Jesus, bSon of cthe Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!”

8 For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

9 And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he * said to Him, “My name is aLegion; for we are many.”

10 And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

11 Now there was a large herd of swine feeding 1nearby on the mountain.

12 The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.”

13 Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.

14 Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened.

15 They * came to Jesus and * observed the man who had been ademon-possessed sitting down, bclothed and cin his right mind, the very man who had had the “dlegion”; and they became frightened.

16 Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the ademon-possessed man, and all about the swine.

17 And they began to aimplore Him to leave their region.

18 aAs He was getting into the boat, the man who had been bdemon-possessed was imploring Him that he might 1accompany Him.

19 And He did not let him, but He * said to him, “aGo home to your people and report to them 1what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”

20 And he went away and began to aproclaim in bDecapolis 1what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.