1 S oon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him,

After this Jesus went to all the cities and towns preaching and telling the Good News about the holy nation of God. The twelve followers were with Him.

2 a nd also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

Some women who had been healed of demons and diseases were with Him. Mary Magdalene, who had had seven demons put out of her, was one of them.

3 a nd Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means. Parable of the Sower

Joanna, the wife of Chuza who was one of Herod’s helpers, was another one. Susanna and many others also cared for Jesus by using what they had. The Picture-Story of the Man Who Planted Seed

4 W hen a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:

Many people came together from every town to Jesus. He told them a picture-story.

5 “ The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up.

“A man went out to plant seed. As he planted the seed, some fell by the side of the road. It was walked on and birds came and ate it.

6 O ther seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

Some seed fell between rocks. As soon as it started to grow, it dried up because it had no water.

7 O ther seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

Some seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew and did not give the seed room to grow.

8 O ther seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Some seed fell on good ground. It grew and gave one hundred times as much grain.” When Jesus had finished saying this, He cried out, “You have ears, then listen!”

9 H is disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant.

His followers asked Him what this picture-story meant.

10 A nd He said, “ To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

Jesus said, “You were given the secrets about the holy nation of God. Others are told picture-stories. As they look, they do not see. As they hear, they do not understand. Jesus Tells about the Man Who Planted Seed

11 “ Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.

“This is what the picture-story means. The seed is the Word of God.

12 T hose beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.

Those by the side of the road hear the Word. Then the devil comes and takes the Word from their hearts. He does not want them to believe and be saved from the punishment of sin.

13 T hose on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.

Those which fell among rocks are those who when they hear the Word receive it with joy. These have no root. For awhile they believe, but when they are tempted they give up.

14 T he seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

Those which fell among thorns hear the Word but go their own way. The cares of this life let the thorns grow. A love for money lets the thorns grow also. And the fun of this life lets the thorns grow. Their grain never becomes full-grown.

15 B ut the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance. Parable of the Lamp

But those which fell on good ground have heard the Word. They keep it in a good and true heart and they keep on giving good grain. The Picture-Story of the Lamp

16 “ Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.

“No man lights a lamp and puts it under a pail or under a bed. He puts it on a lamp-stand so all who come into the room may see it.

17 F or nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

Nothing is secret but what will be known. Anything that is hidden will be brought into the light.

18 S o take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”

Be careful how you listen! Whoever has, to him will be given. Whoever does not have, even the little he has will be taken from him.” The New Kind of Family

19 A nd His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd.

The mother of Jesus and His brothers came to Him. They could not get near Him because of so many people.

20 A nd it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.”

Someone said to Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside. They want to see You.”

21 B ut He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” Jesus Stills the Sea

Jesus said to them, “My mother and brothers are these who hear the Word of God and do it.” The Wind and Waves Obey Jesus

22 N ow on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out.

On one of those days Jesus and His followers got into a boat. Jesus said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” Then they pushed out into the water.

23 B ut as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.

As they were going, Jesus fell asleep. A wind storm came over the lake. The boat was filling with water and they were in danger.

24 T hey came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “ Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.

The followers came to awake Jesus. They said, “Teacher! Teacher! We are going to die!” Then Jesus got up and spoke sharp words to the wind and the high waves. The wind stopped blowing and there were no more waves.

25 A nd He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” The Demoniac Cured

He said to them, “Where is your faith?” The followers were surprised and afraid. They said to each other, “What kind of a man is He? He speaks to the wind and the waves and they obey Him.” Demons Ask Jesus to Let Them Live in Pigs

26 T hen they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

They came to the land of the Gadarenes, which is on the other side of the country of Galilee.

27 A nd when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.

As Jesus stepped out on land, a man met Him who had come from the city. This man had demons in him. For a long time he had worn no clothes. He did not live in a house, but lived among the graves.

28 S eeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “ What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.”

When he saw Jesus, he got down before Him and cried with a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High? I beg of You not to hurt me!”

29 F or He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.

For Jesus had spoken to the demon to come out of the man. Many times the demon had taken hold of him. The man had to be tied with chains. But he would break the chains and be taken by the demon into the desert.

30 A nd Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “ Legion”; for many demons had entered him.

Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And the demon answered, “Many,” because many demons had gone into him.

31 T hey were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

The demons asked Jesus not to send them to the hole without a bottom in the earth.

32 N ow there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission.

There were many pigs feeding on the side of the mountain. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. Jesus said they could.

33 A nd the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

The demons came out of the man and went into the pigs. Then the many pigs ran down the side of the mountain into the water and died.

34 W hen the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country.

The men who cared for the pigs ran fast and told what had happened in the town and in the country.

35 T he people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened.

People came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the man from whom the demons had been sent. He was sitting at the feet of Jesus with clothes on and had the right use of his mind. The people were afraid.

36 T hose who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well.

Those who had seen it told how the man who had had the demons was healed.

37 A nd all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned.

Then all the people of the country of the Gadarenes begged Jesus to go away from them. They were very much afraid. Jesus got into the boat and went back to the other side.

38 B ut the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying,

The man out of whom the demons had gone begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus sent him away and said,

39 “ Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. Miracles of Healing

“Go back to your house and tell everything God has done for you.” He went back and told all the people of the city what great things Jesus had done for him. Two Were Healed through Faith

40 A nd as Jesus returned, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.

Many people were glad to see Jesus when He got back. They were waiting for Him.

41 A nd there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house;

A man named Jairus was a leader of the Jewish place of worship. As he came to Jesus, he got down at His feet. He asked Jesus if He would come to his house.

42 f or he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.

He had only one daughter and she was dying. This girl was about twelve years old. As Jesus went, the people pushed Him from every side.

43 A nd a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,

A woman had been sick for twelve years with a flow of blood. (She had spent all the money she had on doctors.) But she could not be healed by anyone.

44 c ame up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.

She came behind Jesus and touched the bottom of His coat. At once the flow of blood stopped.

45 A nd Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “ Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.”

Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” Everyone said that they had not touched Him. Peter said, “Teacher, so many people are pushing You from every side and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”

46 B ut Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”

Then Jesus said, “Someone touched Me because I know power has gone from Me.”

47 W hen the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.

When the woman saw she could not hide it, she came shaking. She got down before Jesus. Then she told Jesus in front of all the people why she had touched Him. She told how she was healed at once.

48 A nd He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

49 W hile He was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.”

While Jesus was yet talking, a man came from the house of the leader of the place of worship. This man said to Jairus, “Your daughter is dead. Do not make the Teacher use anymore of His time.”

50 B ut when Jesus heard this, He answered him, “ Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well.”

Jesus heard it and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid, only believe. She will be made well.”

51 W hen He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother.

Jesus went into the house. He let only Peter and James and John and the father and mother of the girl go in with Him.

52 N ow they were all weeping and lamenting for her; but He said, “Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep.”

Everyone was crying and full of sorrow because of her. Jesus said, “Do not cry. She is not dead, but is sleeping.”

53 A nd they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died.

Then they laughed at Jesus because they knew she was dead.

54 H e, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Child, arise!”

Jesus sent them all out. He took the girl by the hand and said, “Child, get up!”

55 A nd her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat.

Her spirit came back and she got up at once. Jesus told them to bring her food.

56 H er parents were amazed; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

Her parents were surprised and wondered about it. Then Jesus told them they should tell no one what had happened.