Mark


1:1   The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. {[1]
Some manuscripts do not have <the Son of God.>}  
1:2   It is written in Isaiah the prophet: 
          "I will send my messenger ahead of you, 
          who will prepare your way" {[2] Mal. 3:1}-- 
1:3       "a voice of one calling in the desert, 
          `Prepare the way for the Lord, 
          make straight paths for him.'" {[3] Isaiah 40:3} 
1:4  And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 
1:5  The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out
to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan
River. 
1:6  John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his
waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 
1:7  And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I,
the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 
1:8  I baptize you with {[8] Or <in>} water, but he will baptize you with
the Holy Spirit." 
1:9   At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by
John in the Jordan. 
1:10  As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open
and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 
1:11  And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I
am well pleased." 
1:12   At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 
1:13  and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was
with the wild animals, and angels attended him. 
1:14   After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming
the good news of God. 
1:15  "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and
believe the good news!" 
1:16   As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his
brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 
1:17  "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 
1:18  At once they left their nets and followed him. 
1:19   When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and
his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 
1:20  Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in
the boat with the hired men and followed him. 
1:21   They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into
the synagogue and began to teach. 
1:22  The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one
who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 
1:23  Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil {[23]
Greek <unclean>; also in verses 26 and 27} spirit cried out, 
1:24  "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy
us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" 
1:25   "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 
1:26  The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a
shriek. 
1:27   The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is
this? A new teaching--and with authority! He even gives orders to evil
spirits and they obey him." 
1:28  News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. 
1:29   As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to
the home of Simon and Andrew. 
1:30  Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus
about her. 
1:31  So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her
and she began to wait on them. 
1:32   That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick
and demon-possessed. 
1:33  The whole town gathered at the door, 
1:34  and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many
demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. 
1:35   Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up,
left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 
1:36  Simon and his companions went to look for him, 
1:37  and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for
you!" 
1:38   Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so
I can preach there also. That is why I have come." 
1:39  So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and
driving out demons. 
1:40   A man with leprosy {[40] The Greek word was used for various diseases
affecting the skin--not necessarily leprosy.} came to him and begged him on
his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." 
1:41   Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the
man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 
1:42  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. 
1:43   Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 
1:44  "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the
priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as
a testimony to them." 
1:45  Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a
result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in
lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. 

2:1   A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard
that he had come home. 
2:2  So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the
door, and he preached the word to them. 
2:3  Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 
2:4  Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made
an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered
the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 
2:5  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins
are forgiven." 
2:6   Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to
themselves, 
2:7  "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive
sins but God alone?" 
2:8   Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were
thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these
things? 
2:9  Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven,' or
to say, `Get up, take your mat and walk'? 
2:10  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins...." He said to the paralytic, 
2:11  "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 
2:12  He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This
amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything
like this!" 
2:13   Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him,
and he began to teach them. 
2:14  As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax
collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed
him. 
2:15   While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors
and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many
who followed him. 
2:16  When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with
the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat
with tax collectors and `sinners'?" 
2:17   On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need
a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

2:18   Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came
and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the
Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?" 
2:19   Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he
is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 
2:20  But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them,
and on that day they will fast. 
2:21   "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does,
the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 
2:22  And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine
will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.
No, he pours new wine into new wineskins." 
2:23   One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his
disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 
2:24  The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful
on the Sabbath?" 
2:25   He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his
companions were hungry and in need? 
2:26  In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God
and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And
he also gave some to his companions." 
2:27   Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the
Sabbath. 
2:28  So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." 

3:1   Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled
hand was there. 
3:2  Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched
him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 
3:3  Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of
everyone." 
3:4   Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or
to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. 
3:5   He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their
stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it
out, and his hand was completely restored. 
3:6  Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how
they might kill Jesus. 
3:7   Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from
Galilee followed. 
3:8  When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea,
Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and
Sidon. 
3:9  Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready
for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 
3:10  For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing
forward to touch him. 
3:11  Whenever the evil {[11] Greek <unclean>; also in verse 30} spirits saw
him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 
3:12  But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was. 
3:13   Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted,
and they came to him. 
3:14  He appointed twelve--designating them apostles {[14] Some manuscripts
do not have <designating them apostles.>}--that they might be with him and
that he might send them out to preach 
3:15  and to have authority to drive out demons. 
3:16  These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name
Peter); 
3:17  James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name
Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); 
3:18  Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus,
Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 
3:19  and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 
3:20   Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he
and his disciples were not even able to eat. 
3:21  When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for
they said, "He is out of his mind." 
3:22   And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is
possessed by Beelzebub {[22] Greek <Beezeboul> or <Beelzeboul>}! By the
prince of demons he is driving out demons." 
3:23   So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan
drive out Satan? 
3:24  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 
3:25  If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 
3:26  And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end
has come. 
3:27  In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his
possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his
house. 
3:28  I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be
forgiven them. 
3:29  But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven;
he is guilty of an eternal sin." 
3:30   He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit." 
3:31   Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent
someone in to call him. 
3:32  A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and
brothers are outside looking for you." 
3:33   "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. 
3:34   Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here
are my mother and my brothers! 
3:35  Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." 

4:1   Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around
him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake,
while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 
4:2  He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 
4:3  "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 
4:4  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds
came and ate it up. 
4:5  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang
up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 
4:6  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered
because they had no root. 
4:7  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so
that they did not bear grain. 
4:8  Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a
crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." 
4:9   Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 
4:10   When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him
about the parables. 
4:11  He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.
But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 
4:12  so that, 
          "`they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, 
          and ever hearing but never understanding; 
          otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!' {[12] Isaiah 6:9,10}" 
4:13   Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then
will you understand any parable? 
4:14  The farmer sows the word. 
4:15  Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As
soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in
them. 
4:16  Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once
receive it with joy. 
4:17  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble
or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 
4:18  Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 
4:19  but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the
desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 
4:20  Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and
produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." 
4:21   He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a
bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? 
4:22  For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is
concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 
4:23  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 
4:24   "Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure
you use, it will be measured to you--and even more. 
4:25  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he
has will be taken from him." 
4:26   He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man
scatters seed on the ground. 
4:27  Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and
grows, though he does not know how. 
4:28  All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head,
then the full kernel in the head. 
4:29  As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the
harvest has come." 
4:30   Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what
parable shall we use to describe it? 
4:31  It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the
ground. 
4:32  Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden
plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its
shade." 
4:33   With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as
they could understand. 
4:34  He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he
was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. 
4:35   That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over
to the other side." 
4:36  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the
boat. There were also other boats with him. 
4:37  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that
it was nearly swamped. 
4:38  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him
and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" 
4:39   He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!"
Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 
4:40   He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have
no faith?" 
4:41   They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind
and the waves obey him!" 

5:1   They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. {[1] Some
manuscripts <Gadarenes>; other manuscripts <Gergesenes>} 
5:2  When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil {[2] Greek
<unclean>; also in verses 8 and 13} spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 
5:3  This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not
even with a chain. 
5:4  For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains
apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue
him. 
5:5  Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut
himself with stones. 
5:6   When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in
front of him. 
5:7  He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus,
Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 
5:8  For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!" 
5:9   Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"  "My name is Legion," he
replied, "for we are many." 
5:10  And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 
5:11   A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 
5:12  The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into
them." 
5:13  He gave them permission, and the evil 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. 
5:14   Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and
countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 
5:15  When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by
the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they
were afraid. 
5:16  Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the
demon-possessed man--and told about the pigs as well. 
5:17  Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 
5:18   As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been
demon-possessed begged to go with him. 
5:19  Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them
how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 
5:20  So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis {[20] That is,
the Ten Cities} how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were
amazed. 
5:21   When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the
lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 
5:22  Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing
Jesus, he fell at his feet 
5:23  and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please
come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." 
5:24  So Jesus went with him.  A large crowd followed and pressed around
him. 
5:25  And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve
years. 
5:26  She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had
spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 
5:27  When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and
touched his cloak, 
5:28  because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 
5:29  Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was
freed from her suffering. 
5:30   At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned
around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" 
5:31   "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered,
"and yet you can ask, `Who touched me?'" 
5:32   But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 
5:33  Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his
feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 
5:34  He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and
be freed from your suffering." 
5:35   While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of
Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother
the teacher any more?" 
5:36   Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be
afraid; just believe." 
5:37   He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the
brother of James. 
5:38  When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a
commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 
5:39  He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The
child is not dead but asleep." 
5:40  But they laughed at him.  After he put them all out, he took the
child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in
where the child was. 
5:41  He took her by the hand and said to her, <"Talitha koum!"> (which
means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). 
5:42  Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years
old). At this they were completely astonished. 
5:43  He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them
to give her something to eat. 

6:1   Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his
disciples. 
6:2  When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who
heard him were amazed.  "Where did this man get these things?" they asked.
"What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 
6:3  Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of
James, Joseph, {[3] Greek <Joses>, a variant of <Joseph>} Judas and Simon?
Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 
6:4   Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in
his own house is a prophet without honor." 
6:5  He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick
people and heal them. 
6:6  And he was amazed at their lack of faith.  Then Jesus went around
teaching from village to village. 
6:7  Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them
authority over evil {[7] Greek <unclean>} spirits. 
6:8   These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a
staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 
6:9  Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 
6:10  Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 
6:11  And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust
off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them." 
6:12   They went out and preached that people should repent. 
6:13  They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and
healed them. 
6:14   King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known.
Some were saying, {[14] Some early manuscripts <He was saying>} "John the
Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are
at work in him." 
6:15   Others said, "He is Elijah."  And still others claimed, "He is a
prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago." 
6:16   But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has
been raised from the dead!" 
6:17   For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had
him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother
Philip's wife, whom he had married. 
6:18  For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have
your brother's wife." 
6:19  So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But
she was not able to, 
6:20  because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a
righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled {[20]
Some early manuscripts <he did many things>}; yet he liked to listen to him.

6:21   Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet
for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of
Galilee. 
6:22  When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod
and his dinner guests.  The king said to the girl, "Ask me for anything you
want, and I'll give it to you." 
6:23  And he promised her with an oath, "Whatever you ask I will give you,
up to half my kingdom." 
6:24   She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?"  "The
head of John the Baptist," she answered. 
6:25   At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: "I want you
to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter." 
6:26   The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his
dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 
6:27  So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John's
head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 
6:28  and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl,
and she gave it to her mother. 
6:29  On hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and laid
it in a tomb. 
6:30   The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had
done and taught. 
6:31  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not
even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a
quiet place and get some rest." 
6:32   So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 
6:33  But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all
the towns and got there ahead of them. 
6:34  When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them
many things. 
6:35   By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him.
"This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 
6:36  Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and
villages and buy themselves something to eat." 
6:37   But he answered, "You give them something to eat."  They said to him,
"That would take eight months of a man's wages {[37] Greek <take two hundred
denarii>}! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to
eat?" 
6:38   "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see."  When they
found out, they said, "Five--and two fish." 
6:39   Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on
the green grass. 
6:40  So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 
6:41  Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he
gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set
before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 
6:42  They all ate and were satisfied, 
6:43  and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of
bread and fish. 
6:44  The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. 
6:45   Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on
ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 
6:46  After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. 
6:47   When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was
alone on land. 
6:48  He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was
against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them,
walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 
6:49  but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a
ghost. They cried out, 
6:50  because they all saw him and were terrified.  Immediately he spoke to
them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 
6:51  Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They
were completely amazed, 
6:52  for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were
hardened. 
6:53   When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored
there. 
6:54  As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 
6:55  They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to
wherever they heard he was. 
6:56  And wherever he went--into villages, towns or countryside--they placed
the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the
edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed. 

7:1   The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from
Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 
7:2  saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean,"
that is, unwashed. 
7:3  (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands
a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 
7:4  When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash.
And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups,
pitchers and kettles. {[4] Some early manuscripts <pitchers, kettles and
dining couches>}) 
7:5   So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your
disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating
their food with `unclean' hands?" 
7:6   He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites;
as it is written: 
          "`These people honor me with their lips, 
          but their hearts are far from me. 
7:7       They worship me in vain; 
          their teachings are but rules taught by men.' {[6,7] Isaiah 29:13}

7:8  You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the
traditions of men." 
7:9   And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the
commands of God in order to observe {[9] Some manuscripts <set up>} your own
traditions! 
7:10  For Moses said, `Honor your father and your mother,' {[10] Exodus
20:12; Deut. 5:16} and, `Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put
to death.' {[10] Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9} 
7:11  But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: `Whatever help
you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift
devoted to God), 
7:12  then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 
7:13  Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have
handed down. And you do many things like that." 
7:14   Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me,
everyone, and understand this. 
7:15  Nothing outside a man can make him `unclean' by going into him.
Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him `unclean.' {[15] Some
early manuscripts <`unclean.' [16] If anyone has ears to hear, let him
hear.>}" 
7:17   After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples
asked him about this parable. 
7:18  "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a
man from the outside can make him `unclean'? 
7:19  For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of
his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") 
7:20   He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him `unclean.' 
7:21  For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual
immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 
7:22  greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 
7:23  All these evils come from inside and make a man `unclean.'" 
7:24   Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. {[24] Many
early manuscripts <Tyre and Sidon>} He entered a house and did not want
anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 
7:25  In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter
was possessed by an evil {[25] Greek <unclean>} spirit came and fell at his
feet. 
7:26  The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to
drive the demon out of her daughter. 
7:27   "First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is
not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 
7:28   "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the
children's crumbs." 
7:29   Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left
your daughter." 
7:30   She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon
gone. 
7:31   Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to
the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. {[31] That is, the
Ten Cities} 
7:32  There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly
talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. 
7:33   After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers
into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. 
7:34  He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him,
<"Ephphatha!"> (which means, "Be opened!"). 
7:35  At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he
began to speak plainly. 
7:36   Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the
more they kept talking about it. 
7:37  People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well,"
they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." 

8:1   During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing
to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 
8:2  "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me
three days and have nothing to eat. 
8:3  If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some
of them have come a long distance." 
8:4   His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get
enough bread to feed them?" 
8:5   "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked.  "Seven," they replied. 
8:6   He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the
seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples
to set before the people, and they did so. 
8:7  They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and
told the disciples to distribute them. 
8:8  The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up
seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 
8:9  About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, 
8:10  he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of
Dalmanutha. 
8:11   The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they
asked him for a sign from heaven. 
8:12  He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a
miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." 
8:13  Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other
side. 
8:14   The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they
had with them in the boat. 
8:15  "Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the
Pharisees and that of Herod." 
8:16   They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have
no bread." 
8:17   Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking
about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts
hardened? 
8:18  Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't
you remember? 
8:19  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many
basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"  "Twelve," they replied. 
8:20   "And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many
basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"  They answered, "Seven." 
8:21   He said to them, "Do you still not understand?" 
8:22   They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and
begged Jesus to touch him. 
8:23  He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.
When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked,
"Do you see anything?" 
8:24   He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking
around." 
8:25   Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were
opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 
8:26  Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village. {[26] Some
manuscripts <Don't go and tell anyone in the village>}" 
8:27   Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea
Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" 
8:28   They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and
still others, one of the prophets." 
8:29   "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"  Peter
answered, "You are the Christ. {[29] Or <Messiah.> "The Christ" (Greek) and
"the Messiah" (Hebrew) both mean "the Anointed One."}" 
8:30   Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 
8:31   He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many
things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law,
and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 
8:32  He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to
rebuke him. 
8:33   But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter.
"Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God,
but the things of men." 
8:34   Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross
and follow me. 
8:35  For whoever wants to save his life {[35] The Greek word means either
<life> or <soul>; also in verse 36.} will lose it, but whoever loses his
life for me and for the gospel will save it. 
8:36  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his
soul? 
8:37  Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 
8:38  If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his
Father's glory with the holy angels." 

9:1   And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here
will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." 
9:2   After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them
up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured
before them. 
9:3  His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world
could bleach them. 
9:4  And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with
Jesus. 
9:5   Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put
up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." 
9:6  (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 
9:7   Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the
cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" 
9:8   Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them
except Jesus. 
9:9   As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to
tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

9:10  They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the
dead" meant. 
9:11   And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah
must come first?" 
9:12   Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all
things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be
rejected? 
9:13  But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything
they wished, just as it is written about him." 
9:14   When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around
them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 
9:15  As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder
and ran to greet him. 
9:16   "What are you arguing with them about?" he asked. 
9:17   A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is
possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 
9:18  Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the
mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive
out the spirit, but they could not." 
9:19   "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay
with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." 
9:20   So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw
the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming
at the mouth. 
9:21   Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" 
"From childhood," he answered. 
9:22  "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you
can do anything, take pity on us and help us." 
9:23   "`If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who
believes." 
9:24   Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me
overcome my unbelief!" 
9:25   When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the
evil {[25] Greek <unclean>} spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I
command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 
9:26   The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy
looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." 
9:27  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he
stood up. 
9:28   After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why
couldn't we drive it out?" 
9:29   He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer. {[29] Some
manuscripts <prayer and fasting>}" 
9:30   They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want
anyone to know where they were, 
9:31  because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of
Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and
after three days he will rise." 
9:32  But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him
about it. 
9:33   They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them,
"What were you arguing about on the road?" 
9:34  But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was
the greatest. 
9:35   Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to
be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." 
9:36   He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in
his arms, he said to them, 
9:37  "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me;
and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." 
9:38   "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name
and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." 
9:39   "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name
can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 
9:40  for whoever is not against us is for us. 
9:41  I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name
because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. 
9:42   "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to
sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large
millstone tied around his neck. 
9:43  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to
enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never
goes out. {[43] Some manuscripts <out, [44] where 
           "`their worm does not die, 
           and the fire is not quenched.'>} 
9:45  And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you
to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. {[45]
Some manuscripts <hell, [46] where 
           "`their worm does not die, 
           and the fire is not quenched.'>} 
9:47  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you
to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown
into hell, 
9:48  where 
          "`their worm does not die, 
          and the fire is not quenched.' {[48] Isaiah 66:24} 
9:49  Everyone will be salted with fire. 
9:50   "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it
salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." 

10:1   Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and
across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his
custom, he taught them. 
10:2   Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man
to divorce his wife?" 
10:3   "What did Moses command you?" he replied. 
10:4   They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce
and send her away." 
10:5   "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,"
Jesus replied. 
10:6  "But at the beginning of creation God `made them male and female.'
{[6] Gen. 1:27} 
10:7  `For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united
to his wife, {[7] Some early manuscripts do not have <and be united to his
wife.>} 
10:8  and the two will become one flesh.' {[8] Gen. 2:24} So they are no
longer two, but one. 
10:9  Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 
10:10   When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about
this. 
10:11  He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman
commits adultery against her. 
10:12  And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits
adultery." 
10:13   People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch
them, but the disciples rebuked them. 
10:14  When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the
little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God
belongs to such as these. 
10:15  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God
like a little child will never enter it." 
10:16  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and
blessed them. 
10:17   As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his
knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit
eternal life?" 
10:18   "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except
God alone. 
10:19  You know the commandments: `Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do
not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father
and mother.' {[19] Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20}" 
10:20   "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." 
10:21   Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said.
"Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 
10:22   At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great
wealth. 
10:23   Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for
the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" 
10:24   The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again,
"Children, how hard it is {[24] Some manuscripts <is for those who trust in
riches>} to enter the kingdom of God! 
10:25  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a
rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 
10:26   The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who
then can be saved?" 
10:27   Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not
with God; all things are possible with God." 
10:28   Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!" 
10:29   "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or
brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the
gospel 
10:30  will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age
(homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them,
persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 
10:31  But many who are first will be last, and the last first." 
10:32   They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way,
and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid.
Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to
him. 
10:33  "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be
betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him
to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 
10:34  who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days
later he will rise." 
10:35   Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher,"
they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." 
10:36   "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 
10:37   They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your
left in your glory." 
10:38   "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the
cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" 
10:39   "We can," they answered.  Jesus said to them, "You will drink the
cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 
10:40  but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places
belong to those for whom they have been prepared." 
10:41   When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and
John. 
10:42  Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are
regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high
officials exercise authority over them. 
10:43  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you
must be your servant, 
10:44  and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 
10:45  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and
to give his life as a ransom for many." 
10:46   Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with
a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the
Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 
10:47  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout,
"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 
10:48   Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the
more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 
10:49   Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."  So they called to the blind
man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 
10:50  Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 
10:51   "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him.  The blind man
said, "Rabbi, I want to see." 
10:52   "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he
received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. 

11:1   As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the
Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 
11:2  saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter
it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it
and bring it here. 
11:3  If anyone asks you, `Why are you doing this?' tell him, `The Lord
needs it and will send it back here shortly.'" 
11:4   They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway.
As they untied it, 
11:5  some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that
colt?" 
11:6  They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 
11:7  When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he
sat on it. 
11:8  Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread
branches they had cut in the fields. 
11:9  Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, 
          "Hosanna! {[9] A Hebrew expression meaning "Save!" which became an
exclamation of praise; also in verse 10}"  
          "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" {[9] Psalm
118:25,26}  
11:10     "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"  
          "Hosanna in the highest!" 
11:11   Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at
everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the
Twelve. 
11:12   The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 
11:13  Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it
had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it
was not the season for figs. 
11:14  Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."
And his disciples heard him say it. 
11:15   On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began
driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the
tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 
11:16  and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple
courts. 
11:17  And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 
          "`My house will be called 
          a house of prayer for all nations' {[17] Isaiah 56:7}? But you
have made it `a den of robbers.' {[17] Jer. 7:11}" 
11:18   The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began
looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd
was amazed at his teaching. 
11:19   When evening came, they {[19] Some early manuscripts <he>} went out
of the city. 
11:20   In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered
from the roots. 
11:21  Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you
cursed has withered!" 
11:22   "Have {[22] Some early manuscripts <If you have>} faith in God,"
Jesus answered. 
11:23  "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, `Go, throw
yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that
what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 
11:24  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that
you have received it, and it will be yours. 
11:25  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone,
forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. {[25]
Some manuscripts <sins. [26] But if you do not forgive, neither will your
Father who is in heaven forgive your sins.>}" 
11:27   They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the
temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders
came to him. 
11:28  "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who
gave you authority to do this?" 
11:29   Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will
tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 
11:30  John's baptism--was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!" 
11:31   They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, `From
heaven,' he will ask, `Then why didn't you believe him?' 
11:32  But if we say, `From men'...." (They feared the people, for everyone
held that John really was a prophet.) 
11:33   So they answered Jesus, "We don't know."  Jesus said, "Neither will
I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." 
12:1   He then began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a
vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a
watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a
journey. 
12:2  At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them
some of the fruit of the vineyard. 
12:3  But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 
12:4  Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head
and treated him shamefully. 
12:5  He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others;
some of them they beat, others they killed. 
12:6   "He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of
all, saying, `They will respect my son.' 
12:7   "But the tenants said to one another, `This is the heir. Come, let's
kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 
12:8  So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 
12:9   "What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill
those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 
12:10  Haven't you read this scripture: 
          "`The stone the builders rejected 
          has become the capstone {[10] Or <cornerstone>}; 
12:11     the Lord has done this, 
          and it is marvelous in our eyes' {[11] Psalm 118:22,23}?" 
12:12   Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had
spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they
left him and went away. 
12:13   Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to
catch him in his words. 
12:14  They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of
integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who
they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it
right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 
12:15  Should we pay or shouldn't we?"  But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why
are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look
at it." 
12:16  They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this?
And whose inscription?"  "Caesar's," they replied. 
12:17   Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God
what is God's."  And they were amazed at him. 
12:18   Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him
with a question. 
12:19  "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother
dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and
have children for his brother. 
12:20  Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without
leaving any children. 
12:21  The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child.
It was the same with the third. 
12:22  In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman
died too. 
12:23  At the resurrection {[23] Some manuscripts <resurrection, when men
rise from the dead,>} whose wife will she be, since the seven were married
to her?" 
12:24   Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the
Scriptures or the power of God? 
12:25  When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage;
they will be like the angels in heaven. 
12:26  Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in
the account of the bush, how God said to him, `I am the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' {[26] Exodus 3:6}? 
12:27  He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly
mistaken!" 
12:28   One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.
Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the
commandments, which is the most important?" 
12:29   "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: `Hear, O Israel,
the Lord our God, the Lord is one. {[29] Or <the Lord our God is one Lord>} 
12:30  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind and with all your strength.' {[30] Deut. 6:4,5} 
12:31  The second is this: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' {[31] Lev.
19:18} There is no commandment greater than these." 
12:32   "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that
God is one and there is no other but him. 
12:33  To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with
all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important
than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." 
12:34   When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are
not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any
more questions. 
12:35   While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, "How is it
that the teachers of the law say that the Christ {[35] Or <Messiah>} is the
son of David? 
12:36  David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: 
          "`The Lord said to my Lord: 
          "Sit at my right hand 
          until I put your enemies 
          under your feet."' {[36] Psalm 110:1} 
12:37  David himself calls him `Lord.' How then can he be his son?"  The
large crowd listened to him with delight. 
12:38   As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law.
They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the
marketplaces, 
12:39  and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of
honor at banquets. 
12:40  They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such
men will be punished most severely." 
12:41   Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and
watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich
people threw in large amounts. 
12:42  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, {[42]
Greek <two lepta>} worth only a fraction of a penny. {[42] Greek
<kodrantes>} 
12:43   Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth,
this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 
12:44  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put
in everything--all she had to live on." 

13:1   As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him,
"Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" 
13:2   "Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone
here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." 
13:3   As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple,
Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 
13:4  "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign
that they are all about to be fulfilled?" 
13:5   Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 
13:6  Many will come in my name, claiming, `I am he,' and will deceive many.

13:7  When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such
things must happen, but the end is still to come. 
13:8  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There
will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning
of birth pains. 
13:9   "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local
councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand
before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 
13:10  And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 
13:11  Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry
beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time,
for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 
13:12   "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child.
Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 
13:13  All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the
end will be saved. 
13:14   "When you see `the abomination that causes desolation' {[14] Daniel
9:27; 11:31; 12:11} standing where it {[14] Or <he>; also in verse 29} does
not belong--let the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee
to the mountains. 
13:15  Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to
take anything out. 
13:16  Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 
13:17  How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing
mothers! 
13:18  Pray that this will not take place in winter, 
13:19  because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning,
when God created the world, until now--and never to be equaled again. 
13:20  If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But
for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 
13:21  At that time if anyone says to you, `Look, here is the Christ {[21]
Or <Messiah>}!' or, `Look, there he is!' do not believe it. 
13:22  For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs
and miracles to deceive the elect--if that were possible. 
13:23  So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. 
13:24   "But in those days, following that distress, 
          "`the sun will be darkened, 
          and the moon will not give its light; 
13:25     the stars will fall from the sky, 
          and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' {[25] Isaiah 13:10; 34:4}

13:26   "At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with
great power and glory. 
13:27  And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds,
from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. 
13:28   "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get
tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 
13:29  Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is
near, right at the door. 
13:30  I tell you the truth, this generation {[30] Or <race>} will certainly
not pass away until all these things have happened. 
13:31  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 
13:32   "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father. 
13:33  Be on guard! Be alert {[33] Some manuscripts <alert and pray>}! You
do not know when that time will come. 
13:34  It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants
in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to
keep watch. 
13:35   "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the
house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the
rooster crows, or at dawn. 
13:36  If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 
13:37  What I say to you, I say to everyone: `Watch!'" 

14:1   Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days
away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for
some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. 
14:2  "But not during the Feast," they said, "or the people may riot." 
14:3   While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man
known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very
expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the
perfume on his head. 
14:4   Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why
this waste of perfume? 
14:5  It could have been sold for more than a year's wages {[5] Greek <than
three hundred denarii>} and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked
her harshly. 
14:6   "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has
done a beautiful thing to me. 
14:7  The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time
you want. But you will not always have me. 
14:8  She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to
prepare for my burial. 
14:9  I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the
world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." 
14:10   Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to
betray Jesus to them. 
14:11  They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So
he watched for an opportunity to hand him over. 
14:12   On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was
customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where
do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 
14:13   So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, "Go into the city,
and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 
14:14  Say to the owner of the house he enters, `The Teacher asks: Where is
my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 
14:15  He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make
preparations for us there." 
14:16   The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as
Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. 
14:17   When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 
14:18  While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you
the truth, one of you will betray me--one who is eating with me." 
14:19   They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?"

14:20   "It is one of the Twelve," he replied, "one who dips bread into the
bowl with me. 
14:21  The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to
that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had
not been born." 
14:22   While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." 
14:23   Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they
all drank from it. 
14:24   "This is my blood of the {[24] Some manuscripts <the new>} covenant,
which is poured out for many," he said to them. 
14:25  "I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the
vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God." 
14:26   When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 
14:27   "You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: 
          "`I will strike the shepherd, 
          and the sheep will be scattered.' {[27] Zech. 13:7} 
14:28  But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." 
14:29   Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not." 
14:30   "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today--yes, tonight--before
the rooster crows twice {[30] Some early manuscripts do not have <twice.>}
you yourself will disown me three times." 
14:31   But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I
will never disown you." And all the others said the same. 
14:32   They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his
disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 
14:33  He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be
deeply distressed and troubled. 
14:34  "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said
to them. "Stay here and keep watch." 
14:35   Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if
possible the hour might pass from him. 
14:36  <"Abba>, {[36] Aramaic for <Father>} Father," he said, "everything is
possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you
will." 
14:37   Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon,"
he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 
14:38  Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit
is willing, but the body is weak." 
14:39   Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 
14:40  When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes
were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. 
14:41   Returning the third time, he said to them, "Are you still sleeping
and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed
into the hands of sinners. 
14:42  Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!" 
14:43   Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With
him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests,
the teachers of the law, and the elders. 
14:44   Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is
the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard." 
14:45  Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him. 
14:46  The men seized Jesus and arrested him. 
14:47  Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant
of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 
14:48   "Am I leading a rebellion," said Jesus, "that you have come out with
swords and clubs to capture me? 
14:49  Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did
not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled." 
14:50  Then everyone deserted him and fled. 
14:51   A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following
Jesus. When they seized him, 
14:52  he fled naked, leaving his garment behind. 
14:53   They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests,
elders and teachers of the law came together. 
14:54  Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the
high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire. 
14:55   The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence
against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find
any. 
14:56  Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not
agree. 
14:57   Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 
14:58  "We heard him say, `I will destroy this man-made temple and in three
days will build another, not made by man.'" 
14:59  Yet even then their testimony did not agree. 
14:60   Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Are you
not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing
against you?" 
14:61  But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.  Again the high priest
asked him, "Are you the Christ, {[61] Or <Messiah>} the Son of the Blessed
One?" 
14:62   "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the
right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." 
14:63   The high priest tore his clothes. "Why do we need any more
witnesses?" he asked. 
14:64  "You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?"  They all
condemned him as worthy of death. 
14:65  Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with
their fists, and said, "Prophesy!" And the guards took him and beat him. 
14:66   While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of
the high priest came by. 
14:67  When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.  "You
also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said. 
14:68   But he denied it. "I don't know or understand what you're talking
about," he said, and went out into the entryway. {[68] Some early
manuscripts <entryway and the rooster crowed>} 
14:69   When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those
standing around, "This fellow is one of them." 
14:70  Again he denied it.  After a little while, those standing near said
to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean." 
14:71   He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, "I
don't know this man you're talking about." 
14:72   Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. {[72] Some early
manuscripts do not have <the second time.>} Then Peter remembered the word
Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice {[72] Some early
manuscripts do not have <twice.>} you will disown me three times." And he
broke down and wept. 

15:1   Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the
teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound
Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 
15:2   "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.  "Yes, it is as you
say," Jesus replied. 
15:3   The chief priests accused him of many things. 
15:4  So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many
things they are accusing you of." 
15:5   But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 
15:6   Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the
people requested. 
15:7  A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had
committed murder in the uprising. 
15:8  The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

15:9   "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked
Pilate, 
15:10  knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus
over to him. 
15:11  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release
Barabbas instead. 
15:12   "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?"
Pilate asked them. 
15:13   "Crucify him!" they shouted. 
15:14   "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.  But they shouted
all the louder, "Crucify him!" 
15:15   Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He
had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. 
15:16   The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the
Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 
15:17  They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of
thorns and set it on him. 
15:18  And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" 
15:19  Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on
him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 
15:20  And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put
his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. 
15:21   A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus,
was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry
the cross. 
15:22  They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The
Place of the Skull). 
15:23  Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 
15:24  And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to
see what each would get. 
15:25   It was the third hour when they crucified him. 
15:26  The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE
JEWS. 
15:27  They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his
left. {[27] Some manuscripts <left, [28] and the scripture was fulfilled
which says, "He was counted with the lawless ones"> (Isaiah 53:12)} 
15:29  Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and
saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three
days, 
15:30  come down from the cross and save yourself!" 
15:31   In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked
him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save
himself! 
15:32  Let this Christ, {[32] Or <Messiah>} this King of Israel, come down
now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him
also heaped insults on him. 
15:33   At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth
hour. 
15:34  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, <"Eloi, Eloi,
lama> <sabachthani?>"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?" {[34] Psalm 22:1} 
15:35   When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen,
he's calling Elijah." 
15:36   One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick,
and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah
comes to take him down," he said. 
15:37   With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 
15:38   The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 
15:39  And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his
cry and {[39] Some manuscripts do not have <heard his cry and.>} saw how he
died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son {[39] Or <a son>} of God!" 
15:40   Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 
15:41  In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many
other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. 
15:42   It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as
evening approached, 
15:43  Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was
himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for
Jesus' body. 
15:44  Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the
centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 
15:45  When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body
to Joseph. 
15:46  So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in
the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone
against the entrance of the tomb. 
15:47  Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. 

16:1   When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James,
and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 
16:2  Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were
on their way to the tomb 
16:3  and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the
entrance of the tomb?" 
16:4   But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very
large, had been rolled away. 
16:5  As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe
sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 
16:6   "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene,
who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they
laid him. 
16:7  But go, tell his disciples and Peter, `He is going ahead of you into
Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'" 
16:8   Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb.
They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. 
16:9   {The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do
not have Mark 16:9-20.} When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

16:10  She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning
and weeping. 
16:11  When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they
did not believe it. 
16:12   Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while
they were walking in the country. 
16:13  These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe
them either. 
16:14   Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked
them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who
had seen him after he had risen. 
16:15   He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to
all creation. 
16:16  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not
believe will be condemned. 
16:17  And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they
will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 
16:18  they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly
poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick
people, and they will get well." 
16:19   After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven
and he sat at the right hand of God. 
16:20  Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord
worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. 
