Mark 5-10

International Standard Version

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man^(A)

5 They arrived at the other side of the sea in the territory of the Gerasenes.^{[a] 2} Just as Jesus^[b] stepped out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. ³ He lived among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, not even with a chain. ⁴ He had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but had snapped the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one could tame him. ⁵ He kept screaming night and day among the tombs and on the mountainsides, and kept cutting himself with stones.

⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell down in front of him, ⁷ screaming in a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you in the name of^[c] God never to torment me!”

⁸ Jesus^[d] had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” ⁹ Then Jesus^[e] asked him, “What’s your name?”

He told him, “My name is Legion,^[f] because there are many of us.” ¹⁰ He kept pleading with Jesus^[g] not to send them out of that region.

¹¹ Now a large herd of pigs was grazing on a hillside nearby. ¹² So the demons^[h] begged him, “Send us among the pigs, so that we can go into them!” ¹³ So he let them do this. The unclean spirits came out of the man^[i] and went into the pigs, and the herd of about 2,000 rushed down a steep slope into the sea and drowned there.^[j]

¹⁴ Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs ran away, they reported what had happened^[k] in the city and countryside. So the people^[l] went to see what had happened. ¹⁵ When they came to Jesus and saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there dressed and in his right mind, they were frightened. ¹⁶ The people who had seen it told them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. ¹⁷ So they began to beg Jesus^[m] to leave their territory.

¹⁸ As Jesus^[n] was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging him to let him go with him. ¹⁹ But Jesus^[o] wouldn’t let him. Instead, he told him, “Go home to your family, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been to you.” ²⁰ So the man^[p] left and began proclaiming in the Decapolis^[q] how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was utterly amazed.

Jesus Heals a Woman and Resurrects a Girl^(B)

²¹ When Jesus again had crossed to the other side in a boat,^[r] a large crowd gathered around him by the seashore. ²² Then a synagogue leader named Jairus arrived. When he saw Jesus,^[s] he fell at his feet ²³ and begged him urgently, saying, “My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live.” ²⁴ So Jesus^[t] went with him. A huge crowd kept following him and jostling him.

²⁵ Now there was a woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ Although she had endured a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all of her money, she had not been helped at all, but rather grew worse. ²⁷ Since she had heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his robe, ²⁸ because she had been saying, “If I can just touch his robe, I will get well.” ²⁹ Her bleeding stopped at once, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her illness.

³⁰ Immediately Jesus became aware that power had gone out of him. So he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ His disciples asked him, “You see the crowd jostling you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” ³² But he kept looking around to look at the woman who had done this. ³³ So the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came forward fearfully, fell down trembling in front of him, and told him the whole truth.

³⁴ He told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed from your illness.”

³⁵ While he was still speaking, some people^[u] came from the synagogue leader’s home^[v] and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?”

³⁶ But when Jesus heard^[w] what they said, he told the synagogue leader, “Stop being afraid! Just keep on believing.” ³⁷ Jesus^[x] allowed no one to go further with him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.

³⁸ When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus^[y] saw mass confusion. People^[z] were crying and sobbing loudly. ³⁹ He entered the house^[aa] and asked them, “Why all this confusion and crying? The child isn’t dead. She’s sleeping.” ⁴⁰ They laughed and laughed at him. But when he had driven all of them outside, he took the child’s father and mother, along with the men who were with him, and went into the room^[ab] where the child was.

⁴¹ He took her by the hand and told her, “Talitha koum,”^[ac] which means, “Young lady, I tell you, get up!” ⁴² The young lady got up at once and started to walk. She was twelve years old. Instantly they were overcome with astonishment. ⁴³ But Jesus^[ad] strictly ordered them not to let anyone know about this. He also told them to give her something to eat.

Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth^(C)

6 Jesus^[ae] left that place and went back to his hometown,^[af] and his disciples followed him. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were utterly amazed. “Where did this man get all these things?” they asked. “What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What great miracles are being done by his hands! ³ This is the builder,^[ag] the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, isn’t it? His sisters are here with us, aren’t they?” And they were offended by him.

⁴ Jesus had been telling them, “A prophet is without honor only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own home.” ⁵ He couldn’t perform a miracle there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around to the villages and continued teaching.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve^(D)

⁷ He called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. ⁸ He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick—no bread, no traveling bag, nothing in their moneybag. ⁹ They could wear sandals but not take along an extra shirt.^{[ah] 10} He told them repeatedly, “Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. ¹¹ If any place will not welcome you and the people^[ai] refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹² So they went and preached that people^[aj] should repent. ¹³ They also kept driving out many demons and anointing with oil many who were sick, and healing them.

The Death of John the Baptist^(E)

¹⁴ King Herod heard about this, because Jesus’^[ak] name had become well-known. He was^[al] saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead! That’s why he is able to do these miracles.”

¹⁵ Others were saying, “He is Elijah.”

Still others were saying, “He is a prophet like one of the other^[am] prophets.”

¹⁶ But when Herod heard about it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised,” ¹⁷ because Herod himself had sent men who arrested^[an] John, bound him with chains, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom Herod^[ao] had married.

¹⁸ John had been telling Herod, “It’s not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹ So Herodias bore a grudge against John^[ap] and wanted to kill him. But she couldn’t do it ²⁰ because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that John^[aq] was a righteous and holy man, and so he protected him. Whenever he listened to John,^[ar] he did much of what he said.^[as] In fact, he liked listening to him.

²¹ An opportunity came during Herod’s birthday celebration, when he gave a banquet for his top officials, military officers, and the most important people of Galilee. ²² When the daughter of Herodias^[at] came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. So the king told the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” ²³ He swore with an oath to her, “I’ll give you anything you ask for, up to half of my kingdom.”

²⁴ So she went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?”

Her mother^[au] replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”

²⁵ Immediately the girl^[av] hurried back to the king with her request, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

²⁶ The king was deeply saddened, yet because of his oaths and his guests he was reluctant to refuse her. ²⁷ So without delay the king sent a soldier and ordered him to bring John’s^[aw] head. The soldier^[ax] went and beheaded him in prison. ²⁸ Then he brought John’s^[ay] head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When John’s^[az] disciples heard about this, they came and carried off his body and laid it in a tomb.

Jesus Feeds More than Five Thousand People^(F)

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. ³¹ He told them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest for a while,” because so many people were coming and going^[ba] that they didn’t even have time to eat. ³² So they went away in a boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³ But when many people saw them leave and recognized them, they hurried on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴ When he got out of the boat,^[bb] he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

³⁵ When it was quite late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and it’s already late. ³⁶ Send the crowds^[bc] away so that they can go to the neighboring farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷ But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”

They asked him, “Should we go and buy 200 denarii^[bd] worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”

³⁸ He asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and see.”

They found out and told him, “Five loaves^[be] and two fish.”

³⁹ Then he ordered them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed them. Then he broke the loaves in pieces and kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people.^[bf] He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² All of them ate and were filled. ⁴³ Then the disciples^[bg] picked up twelve baskets full of leftover bread and fish. ⁴⁴ There were 5,000 men who had eaten the loaves.

Jesus Walks on the Sea^(G)

⁴⁵ Jesus^[bh] immediately had his disciples get into a boat and cross to Bethsaida ahead of him, while he sent the crowd away. ⁴⁶ After saying goodbye to them, he went up on a hillside to pray. ⁴⁷ When evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, while he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ He saw that his disciples^[bi] were straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn^[bj] he came to them, walking on the sea. He intended to go up right beside them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and began to scream. ⁵⁰ All of them saw him and were terrified. Immediately he told them, “Have courage! It’s me. Stop being afraid!”

⁵¹ Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped blowing. The disciples^[bk] were utterly astounded, ⁵² because they didn’t understand the significance of the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret^(H)

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they came ashore at Gennesaret and anchored the boat. ⁵⁴ As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus.^{[bl] 55} They ran all over the countryside and began carrying the sick on their mats to any place where they heard he was. ⁵⁶ Wherever he went, whether into villages, towns, or farms, people^[bm] would place their sick in the marketplaces and beg him to let them touch even the tassel of his garment, and everyone who touched it was healed.

Jesus Challenges the Tradition of the Elders^(I)

7 The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus.^{[bn] 2} They noticed that some of his disciples were eating^[bo] with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. ³ (The Pharisees—and indeed all the Jewish people—don’t eat unless they wash their hands properly,^[bp] following the tradition of their elders. ⁴ They don’t eat anything from the marketplace unless they dip it in water. They also observe many other traditions, such as the proper washing of washing cups, jars, brass pots, and dinner tables.)^{[bq] 5} So the Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus,^[br] “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat^[bs] with unclean hands.”

⁶ He told them, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. As it is written,

⁸ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

⁹ Then he told them, “You have such a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your own tradition! ¹⁰ Because Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’^[bu] and, ‘Whoever curses his father or mother must certainly be put to death.’^{[bv] 11} But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother, “Whatever support you might have received from me is Corban,”’ (that is, an offering to God) ¹² ‘you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.’ ¹³ You are destroying the word of God through your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other things like that.”

¹⁴ Then he called to the crowd again and told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand! ¹⁵ Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. It’s what comes out of a person that makes a person unclean. ¹⁶ If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!”^[bw]

¹⁷ When he had left the crowd and gone home, his disciples began asking him about the parable. ¹⁸ He asked them, “Are you so ignorant? Don’t you know that nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean? ¹⁹ Because it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then into the sewer,^[bx] thereby expelling^[by] all foods.” ²⁰ Then he continued, “It’s what comes out of a person that makes a person unclean, ²¹ because it’s from within, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come, as well as sexual immorality, stealing, murder, ²² adultery, greed, wickedness, cheating, shameless lust, envy, slander,^[bz] arrogance, and foolishness. ²³ All these things come from inside and make a person unclean.”

A Canaanite Woman’s Faith^(J)

²⁴ Jesus^[ca] left that place and went to the territory of Tyre and Sidon.^[cb] He went into a house, not wanting anyone to know he was there. However, it couldn’t be kept a secret. ²⁵ In fact, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him and came and fell down at his feet. ²⁶ Now the woman happened to be a Greek, born in Phoenicia in Syria. She kept asking him to drive the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ But he kept telling her, “First let the children be filled. It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the puppies.”

²⁸ But she answered him, “Yes,^[cc] Lord. Yet even the puppies under the table eat some of the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ Then he told her, “Because you have said this, go! The demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰ So she went home and found her child lying in bed, and the demon was gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man with a Speech Impediment

³¹ Then Jesus^[cd] left the territory of Tyre and passed through Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the territory of the Decapolis.^{[ce] 32} Some people^[cf] brought him a deaf man who also had a speech impediment. They begged him to lay his hand on him. ³³ Jesus^[cg] took him away from the crowd to be alone with him. Putting his fingers into the man’s^[ch] ears, he touched the man’s^[ci] tongue with saliva.

³⁴ Then he looked up to heaven, sighed, and told him, “Ephphatha,”^[cj] that is, “Be opened!” ³⁵ The man’s^[ck] hearing and speech were restored at once, and he began to talk normally. ³⁶ Jesus^[cl] ordered the people^[cm] not to tell anyone, but the more he kept ordering them, the more they kept spreading the news.

³⁷ Amazed beyond measure, they kept on saying, “He does everything well! He even makes deaf people hear and mute people talk!”

Jesus Feeds More than Four Thousand People^(K)

8 At that time, after a large crowd again had gathered together with nothing to eat, Jesus^[cn] called his disciples and told them, ² “I have compassion for the crowd, because they’ve already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. ³ If I send them away to their homes hungry, they’ll faint on the road. Some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴ His disciples answered him, “Where could anyone get enough bread to feed these people out here in the wilderness?”

⁵ He asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”

“Seven,” they said.

⁶ So he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and gave thanks. He broke them in pieces and kept giving them to his disciples to distribute. So they served them to the crowd. ⁷ They also had a few small fish. He blessed them and said that the fish^[co] should also be distributed. ⁸ The people^[cp] ate and were filled. Then the disciples^[cq] picked up the leftover pieces—seven large baskets full. ⁹ Now about 4,000 men were there. Then he sent them on their way. ¹⁰ Immediately he got into a boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.^[cr]

Interpreting the Time^(L)

¹¹ The Pharisees arrived and began arguing with Jesus.^[cs] They tested him by demanding from him a sign from heaven. ¹² He sighed deeply in his spirit and remarked, “Why do those living today^[ct] demand a sign? I tell all of you^[cu] with certainty, no sign will be given to this generation.” ¹³ Leaving them, he got into a boat again and crossed to the other side.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees^(M)

¹⁴ Now the disciples^[cv] had forgotten to take any bread along, but they had one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵ Jesus^[cw] had been warning them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!”^[cx]

¹⁶ So they were discussing with one another the fact that they didn’t have any bread. ¹⁷ Knowing this, Jesus^[cy] asked them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you don’t have any bread? Don’t you understand or perceive yet? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes, but fail to see? Do you have ears, but fail to hear?^[cz] Don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the 5,000, how many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces?”

They told him, “Twelve.”

²⁰ “When I broke^[da] the seven loaves^[db] for the 4,000, how many large baskets did you fill with the leftover pieces?”

They told him, “Seven.”

²¹ Then he asked them, “Don’t you understand yet?”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man in Bethsaida

²² As they came to Bethsaida, some people^[dc] brought a blind man to Jesus^[dd] and begged him to touch him.^{[de] 23} Jesus^[df] took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. He spit into his eyes, placed his hands on him, and asked him, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴ The man^[dg] looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking around.” ²⁵ Then Jesus^[dh] placed his hands on the man’s^[di] eyes again, and he saw clearly. His sight was restored, and he saw everything perfectly, even from a distance.

²⁶ Then Jesus^[dj] sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village or tell anyone in the village.”^[dk]

Peter Declares His Faith in Jesus^(N)

²⁷ Then Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he was asking his disciples, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸ They answered him, “Some say^[dl] John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others one of the prophets.”

²⁹ Then he began to ask them, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah!”^{[dm] 30} Jesus^[dn] sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(O)

³¹ Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but after three days he would rise again. ³² He was speaking about this matter quite openly.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³ But turning and looking at his disciples, Jesus^[do] rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan, because you’re not thinking God’s thoughts, but human thoughts!”

³⁴ Then Jesus^[dp] called the crowd to himself along with his disciples and told them, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously, ³⁵ because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. ³⁶ What profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? ³⁷ Indeed, what can a person give in exchange for his life? 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 with the holy angels in his Father’s glory.”

9 Then he told them, “I tell all of you^[dq] with certainty, some people standing here will not experience^[dr] death until they see the kingdom of God arrive with power.”

Jesus’ Appearance is Changed^(P)

² Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain to be alone with him. His appearance was changed in front of them, ³ and his clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone^[ds] on earth could bleach them. ⁴ Then Elijah appeared to them, accompanied by Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

⁵ Then Peter told Jesus, “Rabbi,^[dt] it’s good that we’re here! Let’s set up three shelters^[du]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶ (Peter^[dv] didn’t know how to respond, because they were terrified.)

⁷ Then a cloud appeared and overshadowed them. A voice came out of the cloud and said,^[dw] “This is my Son, whom I love. Keep on listening to him!” ⁸ Suddenly, as they looked around, they saw no one with them but Jesus alone.

⁹ On their way down the mountain, Jesus^[dx] ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ They kept the matter to themselves but argued about what “rising from the dead” meant. ¹¹ So they asked him, “Don’t the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

¹² He told them, “Elijah is indeed coming first and will restore all things. Why, then, is it written that the Son of Man must suffer a great deal and be treated shamefully? ¹³ But I tell you that Elijah has come, yet people^[dy] treated him just as they pleased, as it is written about him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon^(Q)

¹⁴ As they approached the other^[dz] disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and some scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ The whole crowd was very surprised to see Jesus^[ea] and ran to welcome him.

¹⁶ He asked the scribes,^[eb] “What are you arguing about with them?”

¹⁷ A man in the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that won’t let him talk. ¹⁸ Whenever it brings on a seizure, it throws him to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes stiff. So I asked your disciples to drive the spirit^[ec] out, but they didn’t have the power.”

¹⁹ Jesus^[ed] told them, “You unbelieving generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me!”

²⁰ So they brought the boy^[ee] to him. When the spirit saw Jesus,^[ef] it immediately threw the boy^[eg] into convulsions. He fell on the ground and kept rolling around and foaming at the mouth. ²¹ Then Jesus^[eh] asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He said, “Since he was a child. ²² The spirit^[ei] has often thrown him into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us!”

²³ Jesus told him, “‘If you are able?’ Everything is possible for the person who believes!”

²⁴ With tears flowing,^[ej] the child’s father at once cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that won’t let him talk or hear—I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!” ²⁶ The spirit^[ek] screamed, shook the child^[el] violently, and came out. The boy was like a corpse, and many said that he was dead. ²⁷ But Jesus took his hand and helped him up, and he stood up.

²⁸ When Jesus^[em] came home, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive the spirit^[en] out?”

²⁹ He told them, “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.”^[eo]

Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(R)

³⁰ Then they left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus^[ep] didn’t want anyone to find out about it, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples, “The Son of Man will be betrayed into human hands. They will kill him, but after being dead for three days he will be raised.” ³² They didn’t understand what this statement meant, and they were afraid to ask him.

True Greatness^(S)

³³ Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus^[eq] was at home, he asked the disciples,^[er] “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, because they had argued on the road with one another about who was the greatest.

³⁵ So he sat down, called the Twelve, and told them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ Then he took a little child and had him stand among them. He took him in his arms and told them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

The True Follower of Jesus^(T)

³⁸ John told Jesus,^[es] “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn’t a follower like us.”

³⁹ But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him, because no one who works a miracle in my name can slander me soon afterwards. ⁴⁰ Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ I tell all of you^[et] with certainty, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to the Messiah^[eu] will never lose his reward.”

Causing Others to Sin^(U)

⁴² “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ So if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better for you to enter life injured than to have two hands and go to hell,^[ev] to the fire that cannot be put out. ⁴⁴ In that place, worms never die, and the fire is never put out.^[ew]

⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.^{[ex] 46} In that place, worms never die, and the fire is never put out.^[ey]

⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It’s better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.^{[ez] 48} In that place, worms never die, and the fire is never put out.

⁴⁹ Because everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.^{[fa] 50} Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how can you restore its flavor? Keep on having salt among yourselves, and live in peace with one another.”

Teaching about Divorce^(V)

10 Then Jesus^[fb] left that place and went into the territory of Judea on the other side^[fc] of the Jordan. Crowds gathered around him as usual, and he began to teach them again as was his custom. ² Some Pharisees came to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ “What did Moses command you?” he responded.

⁴ They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to divorce her.”^[fd]

⁵ But Jesus told them, “It was because of your hardness of heart that he wrote this command for you. ⁶ But from the beginning of creation, ‘God^[fe] made them male and female.’^{[ff] 7} That’s why ‘a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, ⁸ and the two will become one flesh.’^[fg] So they’re no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore, what God has joined together, man must never separate.”

¹⁰ Back in the house, the disciples asked him about this again. ¹¹ So he told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. ¹² And if a woman^[fh] divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

Jesus Blesses the Little Children^(W)

¹³ Some people^[fi] were bringing little children to Jesus^[fj] to have him touch them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought^[fk] them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he became furious and told them, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of God belongs to people like these. ¹⁵ I tell all of you^[fl] with certainty, whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ Then after he had hugged the children,^[fm] he tenderly blessed them as he laid his hands on them.

A Rich Man Comes to Jesus^(X)

¹⁷ As Jesus^[fn] was setting out again,^[fo] a man ran up to him, knelt down in front of him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Nobody is good except for one—God. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Never murder.’^[fp] ‘Never commit adultery.’^[fq] ‘Never steal.’^[fr] ‘Never give false testimony.’^[fs] ‘Never cheat.’ ‘Honor your father and mother.’”^[ft]

²⁰ The man^[fu] replied to him, “Teacher, I have obeyed all of these since I was a young man.”

²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. Then he told him, “You’re missing one thing. Go and sell everything you own, give the money^[fv] to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” ²² Shocked at this statement, the man^[fw] went away sad, because he had many possessions.

Salvation and Reward^(Y)

²³ Then Jesus looked around and told his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ The disciples were startled by these words, but Jesus told them again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in their wealth^[fx] to get into the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ The disciples^[fy] were utterly amazed and asked one another,^[fz] “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans it’s impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”

²⁸ Then Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹ Jesus said, “I tell all of you^[ga] with certainty, there is no one who has left his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields because of me and the gospel ³⁰ who will not receive a hundred times as much here in this world—homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields, along with persecution—as well as eternal life in the age to come. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

³² Now Jesus and his disciples^[gb] had been on the road going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus walking ahead of them. They were astonished, and the others who followed were afraid.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time^(Z)

Once again, Jesus^[gc] took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “Pay attention! We’re going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and the scribes, and they’ll condemn him to death. Then they’ll hand him over to the unbelievers,^{[gd] 34} and they’ll make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him. But after three days he’ll be raised.”

The Request of James and John^(AA)

³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus^[ge] and told him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you.”

³⁶ He asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?”

³⁷ They asked him, “Let us sit in your glory, one on your right and one on your left.”

³⁸ But Jesus told them, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from or be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized?”

³⁹ They told him, “We can.”

Jesus told them, “You will drink from the cup that I’m going to drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized. ⁴⁰ But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right or my left. Those positions have already been prepared for others.”

⁴¹ When the ten other disciples^[gf] heard this, they began to be furious with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called his disciples^[gg] and told them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers among the unbelievers^[gh] lord it over them, and their superiors act like tyrants over them. ⁴³ That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to everyone, ⁴⁵ because even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus^(AB)

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus,^[gi] his disciples, and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus) was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many people sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ So Jesus stopped and said, “Call him!”

So they called the blind man and told him, “Have courage! Get up. He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ He threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Jesus.

⁵¹ Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man told him, “Rabbouni,^[gj] I want to see again.”

⁵² Jesus told him, “Go. Your faith has made you well.” At once the man^[gk] could see again, and he began to follow Jesus^[gl] down the road.