| Mark 1 John the Baptist Prepares the Way 1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ , the Son of God . [ a ] 2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet : “ I will send my messenger ahead of you , who will prepare your way”[b ] — 3 “ a voice of one calling in the desert , ‘ Prepare the way for the Lord , make straight paths for him . '”[c ] 4 And so John came , baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins . 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 . 6 John wore clothing made of camel 's hair , with a leather belt around his waist , and he ate locusts and wild honey . 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 . 8 I baptize you with[d ] water , but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit . ” The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan . 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 . 11 And a voice came from heaven : “ You are my Son , whom I love ; with you I am well pleased . ” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert , 13 and he was in the desert forty days , being tempted by Satan . He was with the wild animals , and angels attended him . The Calling of the First Disciples 14 After John was put in prison , Jesus went into Galilee , proclaiming the good news of God . 15 “ The time has come , ” he said . “ The kingdom of God is near . Repent and believe the good news ! ” 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 . 17 “ Come , follow me , ” Jesus said , “ and I will make you fishers of men . ” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him . 19 When he had gone a little farther , he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat , preparing their nets . 20 Without delay he called them , and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him . Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit 21 They went to Capernaum , and when the Sabbath came , Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach . 22 The people were amazed at his teaching , because he taught them as one who had authority , not as the teachers of the law . 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil[e ] spirit cried out , 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 ! ” 25 “ Be quiet ! ” said Jesus sternly . “ Come out of him ! ” 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek . 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 . ” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee . Jesus Heals Many 29 As soon as they left the synagogue , they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew . 30 Simon 's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever , and they told Jesus about her . 31 So he went to her , took her hand and helped her up . The fever left her and she began to wait on them . 32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed . 33 The whole town gathered at the door , 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 . Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place 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 . 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him , 37 and when they found him , they exclaimed : “ Everyone is looking for you ! ” 38 Jesus replied , “ Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also . That is why I have come . ” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee , preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons . A Man With Leprosy 40 A man with leprosy[f ] came to him and begged him on his knees , “ If you are willing , you can make me clean . ” 41 Filled with compassion , Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man . “ I am willing , ” he said . “ Be clean ! ” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured . 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning : 44 “ See that you do n'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 . ” 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 . Mark 2 Jesus Heals a Paralytic 1 A few days later , when Jesus again entered Capernaum , the people heard that he had come home . 2 So many gathered that there was no room left , not even outside the door , and he preached the word to them . 3 Some men came , bringing to him a paralytic , carried by four of them . 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 . 5 When Jesus saw their faith , he said to the paralytic , “ Son , your sins are forgiven . ” 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there , thinking to themselves , 7 “ Why does this fellow talk like that ? He 's blaspheming ! Who can forgive sins but God alone ? ” 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 ? 9 Which is easier : to say to the paralytic , ‘ Your sins are forgiven , ' or to say , ‘ Get up , take your mat and walk ' ? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins … ” He said to the paralytic , 11 “ I tell you , get up , take your mat and go home . ” 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 ! ” The Calling of Levi 13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake . A large crowd came to him , and he began to teach them . 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 . 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 . 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 ' ? ” 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 . ” Jesus Questioned About Fasting 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 ? ” 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 . 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them , and on that day they will fast . 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 . 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 . ” Lord of the Sabbath 23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields , and as his disciples walked along , they began to pick some heads of grain . 24 The Pharisees said to him , “ Look , why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath ? ” 25 He answered , “ Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need ? 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 . ” 27 Then he said to them , “ The Sabbath was made for man , not man for the Sabbath . 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath . ” |