Mark Chapters

1 | •  ¹The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ²It is written in the book of Isaiah, the prophet, “I am sending my messenger ahead of you, to prepare your way. ³Let the people hear the voice calling in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, level his paths.”

⁴So John began to baptize in the desert; he preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵All Judea and all the people from the city of Jerusalem went out to John to confess their sins and to be baptized by him in the river Jordan.

⁶John was clothed in camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and honey. ⁷He preached to the people, saying, “After me comes one who is more powerful than I am; ⁸I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”

⁹At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth, a town of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And the moment he came up out of the water, heaven opened before him, and he saw the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. ¹¹And these words were heard from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved, the One I have chosen.”

¹²Then the Spirit drove him into the desert. ¹³Jesus stayed in the desert for forty days and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, but angels ministered to him.

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

(Mt 4:12; Lk 4:14)

•  ¹⁴After John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God. ¹⁵He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.”

¹⁶As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷And Jesus told them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” ¹⁸At once, they abandoned their nets and followed him. ¹⁹Jesus went a little farther on and saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee; they were in their boat mending their nets. ²⁰Immediately, Jesus called them and they followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men.

Jesus Teaches and Drives Out an Evil Spirit

(Mt 7:28; Lk 4:31)

•  ²¹They went into the town of Capernaum and Jesus taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. ²²The people were astonished at how he taught, for he spoke as one with authority and not like the teachers of the law.

•  ²³It happened that a man with an evil spirit was in their synagogue ²⁴and he shouted, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: you are the Holy One of God.” ²⁵Then Jesus faced him and said with authority, “Be silent and come out of this man!” ²⁶The evil spirit shook the man violently and, with a loud shriek, came out of him.

²⁷All the people were astonished and wondered, “What is this? With what authority he preaches! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him!” ²⁸And Jesus’ fame spread throughout all the country of Galilee.

Jesus Heals Many

(Mt 8:14; Lk 4:38)

•  ²⁹On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon and Andrew with James and John. ³⁰As Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, they immediately told him about her. ³¹Jesus went to her and taking her by the hand, raised her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. ³²That evening, at sundown, people brought to Jesus all the sick and those who had evil spirits: ³³The whole town was pressing around the door. ³⁴Jesus healed many who had various diseases and drove out many demons, but he did not let them speak, for they knew who he was.

Jesus’ Prayer at Night

(Lk 4:42)

•  ³⁵Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus went off to a lonely place where he prayed. ³⁶Simon and the others went out also, searching for him; ³⁷and when they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” ³⁸Then Jesus answered, “Let us go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I came.”

³⁹So Jesus set out to preach in all the synagogues throughout Galilee; he also cast out demons.

Jesus Cures a Leper

(Mt 8:2; Lk 5:12)

•  ⁴⁰A leper came to Jesus and begged him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.” ⁴¹Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do want to; be clean.” ⁴²The leprosy left the man at once, and he was made clean. ⁴³As Jesus sent the man away, he sternly warned him, ⁴⁴“Don’t tell anyone about this, but go and show yourself to the priest; and for the cleansing, bring the offering ordered by Moses; in this way, you will give to them your testimony.”

⁴⁵However, as soon as the man went out, he began spreading the news everywhere so that Jesus could no longer openly enter any town. But even though he stayed in the rural areas, people came to him from everywhere.

Jesus Forgives and Cures a Paralytic

(Mt 9:1; Lk 5:17)

2 | •  ¹After some days, Jesus returned to Capernaum. As the news spread that he was in the house, ²so many people gathered that there was no longer room even outside the door. While Jesus was preaching the word to them, ³some people brought to him a paralyzed man.

⁴The four men who carried him couldn’t get near Jesus because of the crowd, so they opened the roof above the room where Jesus was and, through the hole, lowered the man on his mat. ⁵When Jesus saw the faith of these people, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶Now, some teachers of the law, who were sitting there, wondered within themselves, ⁷“How can he speak like this, insulting God? Who can forgive sins but God?”

⁸At once, Jesus knew in his spirit what they were thinking and asked, “Why do you wonder? ⁹Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your mat and walk?’ ¹⁰But now you shall know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”

And he said to the paralytic, ¹¹“Stand up, take up your mat and go home.” ¹²The man rose and, in the sight of all those people, picked up his mat and went out. All of them were astonished and praised God, saying, “Never have we seen anything like this!”

The Call of Levi

(Mt 9:9; Lk 5:27)

•  ¹³When Jesus went out again, beside the lake, a crowd came to him, and he taught them. ¹⁴As he walked along, he saw a tax collector sitting in his office. This was Levi, the son of Alpheus. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” And Levi got up and followed him.

¹⁵And it so happened that, when Jesus was eating in Levi’s house, tax collectors and sinners sat with him and his disciples; many followed him.

¹⁶But Pharisees, men educated in the law, when they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does your master eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷Jesus heard them and answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

New Wine, New Skin

(Mt 9:14; Lk 5:33)

•  ¹⁸One day, when the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist were fasting, some people asked Jesus, “Why is it that both the Pharisees and the disciples of John fast, but yours do not?” ¹⁹Jesus answered, “How can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day, they will fast.

²¹No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old coat because the new patch will shrink and tear away from the old cloth, making a worse tear. ²²And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, for the wine would burst the skins, and then both the wine and the skins would be lost. But new wine, new skins!”

(Mt 12:1; Lk 6:1)

•  ²³One Sabbath, he was walking through grain fields. As his disciples walked along with him, they began picking the grain heads and crushing them in their hands. ²⁴Then the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look! They are doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath!”

²⁵And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his men were very hungry? ²⁶He went into the House of God, when Abiathar was High Priest, and ate the bread of offering, which only the priests are allowed to eat, and he also gave some to the men who were with him.” ²⁷Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸So the Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath.”

Cure of the Man With a Withered Hand

(Lk 6:6; Mt 12:9; Lk 14:1)

3 | •  ¹Again, Jesus entered the synagogue. A man who had a paralyzed hand was there; ²and some people watched Jesus: would he heal the man on the Sabbath? If he did, they could accuse him.

³Jesus said to the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand here, in the center.” ⁴Then he asked them, “What does the law allow us to do on the Sabbath, to do good or harm? To save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

⁵Then Jesus looked around at them with anger and deep sadness at their hardness of heart. And he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was healed. ⁶As soon as the Pharisees left, they met with Herod’s supporters, looking for a way to destroy Jesus.

(Mt 12:15; Lk 6:17)

⁷Jesus and his disciples withdrew to the lakeside, and a large crowd from Galilee followed him. Many people also came from Judea, 8 Jerusalem, Idumea, Transjordan, and the region of Tyre and Sidon, for they had heard of all that he was doing.

⁹Because of the crowd, Jesus told his disciples to have a boat ready for him to prevent the people from crushing him. ¹⁰He healed so many that all who had diseases kept pressing toward him to touch him. ¹¹Even the people who had evil spirits, whenever they saw him, they would fall down before him and cry out, “You are the Son of God.” ¹²But he warned them sternly not to tell anyone who he was.

The Twelve Apostles

(Mt 10:1; Lk 6:12)

•  ¹³Then Jesus went up into the hill country and called those he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴He appointed Twelve to be with him and called them ‘apostles.’ He wanted to send them out to preach, ¹⁵ and he gave them authority to drive out demons.

¹⁶These are the Twelve: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; ¹⁷James, son of Zebedee, and John his brother, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘men of thunder’; ¹⁸Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, ¹⁹and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

The Sin Against the Spirit

(Mt 12:24; Lk 11:15)

•  ²⁰They went home. The crowd began to gather again, and they couldn’t even have a meal. ²¹Knowing what was happening, his relatives came to take charge of him. “He is out of his mind,” they said. ²²Meanwhile, the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem said, “He is in the power of Beelzebul: the chief of the demons helps him to drive out demons.”

²³Jesus called them to him and began teaching them employing stories or parables. “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴If a nation is divided by civil war, that nation cannot stand. ²⁵If a family divides into groups, it will not survive. ²⁶Similarly, if Satan has risen against himself and is divided, he will not stand; he is finished. ²⁷No one can break into a strong man's house to plunder his goods unless he first ties up the strong man. Then, indeed, he can plunder his house.

²⁸ Truly, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. ²⁹But whoever slanders the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He carries the guilt of his sin forever.”

³⁰This was their sin when they said, “He has an unclean spirit in him.”

Jesus’ True Family

(Mt 12:46; Lk 8:19)

•  ³¹Then his mother and his brothers came. As they stood outside, they sent someone to call him. ³²The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” ³³He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”

³⁴And looking around at those who sat there, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ³⁵Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me.”

The Sower

(Mt 13:1; Lk 8:4)

4 | •  ¹Again, Jesus began to teach by the lake; but such a large crowd gathered about him, that he got into a boat and sat in it on the lake, while the crowd stood on the shore. ²He taught them many things through parables. In his teaching he said,

³“Listen! The sower went out to sow. ⁴As he sowed, some of the seed fell along a path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some of the seed fell on rocky ground with little soil; it sprang up immediately because it had no depth; ⁶but when the sun rose and burned it, it withered because it had no roots. ⁷Other seed fell among thorn bushes, and the thorns grew and choked it, so it didn’t produce any grain. ⁸But some seed fell on good soil, grew and increased and yielded grain; some seed produced thirty times as much, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much.” ⁹And Jesus added, “Listen then, if you have ears.”

•  ¹⁰When the crowd went away, some who were present along with the Twelve asked about the parables.

¹¹He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But for those outside, everything comes in parables, ¹²so that, the more they see, they don’t perceive; the more they hear, they don’t understand; otherwise they would be converted and pardoned.”

•  ¹³Jesus asked them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How, then, will you understand any of the parables?

¹⁴What the sower is sowing is the word. ¹⁵Those along the path where the seed fell are people who hear the word, but as soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

¹⁶Other people receive the word like rocky ground. As soon as they hear the word, they accept it with joy. ¹⁷But they have no roots, so it lasts only a little while. No sooner does trouble or persecution come because of the word than they fall.

¹⁸Others receive the seed as seed among thorns. After they hear the word ¹⁹they are caught up in the worries of this life, false hopes of riches, and other desires. All these come in and choke the word, so it finally produces nothing.

²⁰And others receive the word as good soil. They hear the word, take it to heart, and produce: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much.”

Parable of the Lamp

(Mt 10:26; Lk 8:16)

•  ²¹Jesus also said to them, “When the light comes, is it put under a basket or a bed? Surely, it is put on a lampstand. ²²Whatever is hidden will be disclosed, and whatever is kept secret will be brought to light. ²³Listen then, if you have ears!”

²⁴And he also said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. In the measure you give, so shall you receive, and still more will be given to you. ²⁵For to the one who produces something, more will be given; and from him who does not produce anything, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The Seed Growing by Itself

•  ²⁶Jesus also said, “In the kingdom of God, it is like this: a man scatters seed upon the soil. ²⁷Whether he is asleep or awake, be it day or night, the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. ²⁸The soil produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ²⁹And when it is ripe for harvesting, they take the sickle for the cutting: the time for the harvest has come.”

The Mustard Seed

(Mt 13:31; Lk 13:18)

•  ³⁰Jesus also said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall we compare it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown, is the smallest of all the seeds scattered upon the soil. ³²But once sown, it grows up and becomes the largest of the plants in the garden, and even grows branches so big that the birds of the air can take shelter in its shade.”

³³Jesus used many such stories to proclaim the word to them in a way they could understand. ³⁴He would not teach them without parables, but privately, to his disciples, he explained everything.

Jesus Calms the Storm

(Mt 8:18; Lk 8:22)

•  ³⁵On that same day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” ³⁶So they left the crowd and took him along in the boat he had been sitting in, and other boats set out with him. ³⁷Then a storm gathered, and it began to blow a gale. The waves spilled over into the boat, soon filling with water. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.

They woke him up and said, “Master, don’t you care if we drown?” ³⁹And rising up, Jesus rebuked the wind and ordered the sea, “Quiet now! Be still!” The wind dropped, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹But they were terrified and said to one another, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

The Gerasene Demoniac

(Mt 8:28; Lk 8:26)

5 | •  ¹They arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. ²No sooner did Jesus leave the boat than he was met by a man with evil spirits who had come from the tombs. ³The man lived among the tombs, and no one could restrain him even with a chain. ⁴He had often been bound with fetters and chains, but he would pull the chains apart and smash the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. ⁵Night and day, he stayed among the tombs on the hillsides and was continually screaming and beating himself with stones.

⁶When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell at his feet ⁷and cried loudly, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God’s sake, I beg you, do not torment me!” ⁸He said this because Jesus had commanded, “Evil spirit, come out of the man!” ⁹When Jesus asked the evil spirit, “What is your name?” it replied, “Legion is my name, for we are many.” ¹⁰And it kept begging Jesus not to send them out of that region.

¹¹A great herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside, ¹²and the evil spirits begged him, “Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them.” ¹³So Jesus let them go. The evil spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs, and immediately, the herd rushed down the cliff, and all were drowned in the lake. ¹⁴The herdsmen fled and reported this in the town and the countryside. So all the people came to see what had happened.

¹⁵They came to Jesus and saw the man freed of the evil spirits, sitting there clothed and in his right mind; the same man who had been possessed by the legion. They were afraid. ¹⁶And when those who had seen it told what had happened to the man and to the pigs, ¹⁷the people begged Jesus to leave their neighborhood.

¹⁸When Jesus was getting into the boat, the man, who had been possessed, begged to stay with him. ¹⁹Jesus would not let him and said, “Go home to your people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰So he went throughout the country of Decapolis telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him, and all the people were astonished.

Jesus Raises the Daughter of Jairus

(Mt 9:18; Lk 8:40)

•  ²¹Jesus then crossed to the other side of the lake, and while he was still on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him. ²²Jairus, an official of the synagogue, came up and, seeing Jesus, threw himself at his feet; ²³and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so she may get well and live.”

²⁴Jesus went with him, and many people followed him, pressing around him. ²⁵Among the crowd was a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶She had suffered a lot at the hands of many doctors and had spent everything she had, but instead of getting better, she was worse. ²⁷Because she had heard about Jesus, this woman came up behind him and touched his cloak, ²⁸thinking, “If I just touch his clothing, I shall get well.” ²⁹Her flow of blood dried up at once, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her complaint.

³⁰But Jesus was conscious that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” ³¹His disciples answered, “You see how the people are crowding around you. Why do you ask who touched you?” ³²But he kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³Then the woman, aware of what had happened, came forward trembling and afraid. She knelt before him and told him the whole truth.

•  ³⁴Then Jesus told her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be free of this illness.”

³⁵While Jesus was still speaking, some people arrived from the official’s house to inform him, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Master any further?” ³⁶But Jesus ignored what they said and told the official, “Do not fear, just believe.” ³⁷And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.

•  ³⁸When they arrived at the house, Jesus saw a great commotion, with people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹Jesus entered and said to them, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.”

⁴⁰They laughed at him. So Jesus sent them outside and went with the child’s father and mother and his companions into the room, where the child lay. ⁴¹Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha kumi!” which means, “Little girl, get up!”

⁴²The girl got up at once and began to walk around. (She was twelve years old.) The parents were amazed, greatly amazed. ⁴³Jesus strictly ordered them not to let anyone know about it and told them to give her something to eat.

Is He Not the Carpenter?

(Mt 13:53; Lk 4:16)

6 | •  ¹Leaving that place, Jesus returned to his own country and his disciples followed him. ²When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and most of those who heard him were astonished. But they said, “How did this come to him? What kind of wisdom has been given to him that he also performs such miracles? ³Who is he but the carpenter, the Son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here among us?” So they took offense at him.

⁴And Jesus told them, “Prophets are despised only in their own country, among their relatives, and in their own family.” ⁵He could work no miracles there, but only healed a few sick people, by laying his hands on them. ⁶Jesus himself was astounded at their unbelief.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

(Mt 10:1; Lk 9:1; 10:1)

•  Jesus then went around the villages, teaching. ⁷He called the Twelve to him and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over evil spirits. ⁸And he ordered them to take nothing for the journey except a staff: no food, no bag, no money in their belts. ⁹They were to wear sandals and were not to take an extra tunic.

¹⁰And he added, “In whatever house you are welcomed, stay there until you leave the place. ¹¹If any place doesn’t receive you, and the people refuse to listen to you, leave after shaking the dust off your feet. It will be a testimony against them.”

¹²So they set out to proclaim that this was the time to repent. ¹³They drove out many demons and healed many sick people by anointing them.

John the Baptist Beheaded

(Mt 14:1; Lk 9:7)

•  ¹⁴King Herod also heard about Jesus because his name had become well-known. Some people said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵Others thought, “He is Elijah,” and others, “He is a prophet like the prophets of times past.” ¹⁶When Herod was told of this, he thought, “I had John beheaded; yet, he has risen from the dead!”

¹⁷For this is what had happened: Herod had ordered John to be arrested; and had had him bound and put in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Herod had married her; ¹⁸and John had told him, “It is not right for you to live with your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him; but she could not, ²⁰because Herod respected John. He knew John was upright and holy and kept him safe. He also liked listening to him, although he became very disturbed whenever he heard him.

²¹Herodias had her chance on Herod’s birthday when he gave a dinner for all the senior government officials, military chiefs, and the leaders of Galilee. ²²On that occasion, the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, and she delighted Herod and his guests. The king told the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I will give it to you.” ²³He went so far as to say with many oaths, “I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.” ²⁴She went out and asked her mother, “What shall I ask for?” The mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” ²⁵The girl hurried to the king and made her request, “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist here and now, on a dish.”

²⁶The king was very displeased but would not refuse in front of his guests because of his oaths. ²⁷So he ordered one of the bodyguards to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded John in prison; ²⁸then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹When John’s disciples heard of this, they came and took his body and buried it.

Jesus, Shepherd, and Prophet

•  ³⁰The apostles returned and reported to Jesus all they had done and taught. ³¹Then he told them, “Let us go off by ourselves into a remote place and have some rest.” There were so many people coming and going that the apostles had no time to eat. ³²And they went away in the boat to a secluded area by themselves.

³³But people saw them leaving, and many could guess where they were going. So, they hurried there on foot from all the towns, arriving ahead of them.

³⁴As Jesus went ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

Bread and Fish for All

(Mt 14:13; Lk 9:10; Jn 6:1)

•  ³⁵It was now getting late, so his disciples came to him and said, “This is a lonely place, and it is now late. ³⁶You should send the people away and let them go to the farms and villages around here to buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷Jesus replied, “You, yourselves, give them something to eat.” They answered, “If we are to feed them, we need two hundred silver coins to go and buy enough bread.” ³⁸But Jesus said, “You have some loaves; how many? Go and see.” The disciples found out and said, “There are five loaves and two fish.”

³⁹Then he told them to have the people sit together in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰This they did in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹And Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish and, raising his eyes to heaven, pronounced a blessing, broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them.

⁴²They all ate, and everyone had enough. ⁴³The disciples gathered up what was left and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴Five thousand men had eaten there.

Jesus Walks on the Water

(Mt 14:22; Jn 6:16)

•  ⁴⁵Immediately, Jesus obliged his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, toward Bethsaida, while he himself sent the crowd away. ⁴⁶And having sent the people off, he went by himself to the hillside to pray.

⁴⁷When evening came, the boat was far out on the lake while he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸Jesus saw his disciples straining at the oars for the wind was against them, and before daybreak, he came to them walking on the lake, and he was going to pass them by.

⁴⁹When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; ⁵⁰for they all saw him and were terrified. But, at once, he called to them, “Courage! It is I; don’t be afraid!” ⁵¹Then Jesus got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely astonished, ⁵²for they had not really grasped the fact of the loaves; their minds were dull.

⁵³Having crossed the lake, they came ashore at Gennesaret, where they tied up the boat. ⁵⁴As soon as they landed, people recognized Jesus ⁵⁵and ran to spread the news throughout the countryside. Wherever he was, they brought to him the sick lying on their mats; ⁵⁶and wherever he went, to villages, towns, or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplace and begged him to let them touch just the fringe of his cloak. And all who touched him were cured.

True Cleanness

(Mt 15:10; Lk 6:39)

7 | •  ¹One day, the Pharisees gathered around Jesus, and with them were some teachers of the law who had just come from Jerusalem.

²They noticed that some of his disciples were eating their meal with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. ³Now the Pharisees, and in fact, all the Jews, never eat without washing their hands, for they follow the tradition received from their ancestors. ⁴Nor do they eat anything when they come from the market without first sprinkling themselves. There are many other traditions they observe, for example, the ritual washing of cups, pots, and plates.

⁵So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but eat with unclean hands?”

⁶Jesus answered, “You shallow people! How well Isaiah prophesied of you when he wrote: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. ⁷The worship they offer me is worthless, for what they teach are only human rules. ⁸You even put aside the commandment of God to hold fast to human tradition.”

⁹And Jesus commented, “You have a fine way of disregarding the commandments of God to enforce your own traditions! ¹⁰For example, Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and: Whoever curses his father or his mother is to be put to death. ¹¹But according to you, someone could say to his father or mother, ‘I already declared Corban (which means “offered to God”) what you could have expected from me.’ ¹²In this case, you no longer require him to do anything for his father or mother; ¹³and so you nullify the word of God through the tradition you have handed on. And you do many other things like that.”

•  ¹⁴Jesus then called the people to him again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and try to understand. ¹⁵Nothing that enters a person from the outside can make that person unclean. It is what comes from within that makes a person unclean. ¹⁶Let everyone who has ears listen.”

¹⁷When Jesus got home and was away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about this saying ¹⁸and he replied, “So even you are dull? Do you not see that whatever comes from outside cannot make a person unclean, ¹⁹since it enters not the heart but the stomach and is finally passed out?”

Thus Jesus declared that all foods are clean.

²⁰And he went on, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him, ²¹for evil designs come out of the heart: theft, murder, ²²adultery, jealousy, greed, maliciousness, deceit, indecency, slander, pride, and folly. ²³All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.”

The Faith of the Syrophoenician

(Mt 15:21)

•  ²⁴When Jesus left that place, he went to the border of the Tyrian country. There, he entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not remain hidden. ²⁵A woman, whose small daughter had an evil spirit, heard of him and came and fell at his feet. ²⁶Now, this woman was a pagan, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷Jesus told her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the puppies.” ²⁸But she replied, “Sir, even the puppies under the table eat the crumbs from the children’s bread.” ²⁹Then Jesus said to her, “You may go your way; because of such a response, the demon had gone out of your daughter.” ³⁰ And when the woman went home, she found her child lying in bed, and the demon was gone.

Healing a Deaf and Dumb Man

•  ³¹Again, Jesus set out; from the country of Tyre, he passed through Sidon, and, skirting the sea of Galilee, he came to the territory of Decapolis. ³²There, a deaf man, who also had difficulty speaking, was brought to him. They asked Jesus to lay his hand upon him.

³³Jesus took him apart from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears, and touched his tongue with spittle. ³⁴Then, looking up to heaven, he said with a deep sigh, “Ephphata!” that is, “Be opened!”

³⁵And immediately, his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly. ³⁶Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone about it, but the more he insisted, the more they proclaimed it. ³⁷The people were completely astonished and said, “He has done all things well; he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”

The Second Miracle of the Loaves

(Mt 15:32)

8 | •  ¹Soon afterward, Jesus was in the midst of another large crowd that obviously had nothing to eat. So he called his disciples and said to them, ²“I feel sorry for these people because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. ³If I send them to their homes hungry, they will faint on the way; some of them have come a long way.”

⁴His disciples replied, “Where, in a deserted place like this, could we get enough bread to feed these people?” ⁵He asked them, “How many loaves have you?” And they answered, “Seven.”

⁶Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute. And they distributed them among the people. ⁷They also had some small fish. So Jesus said a blessing and asked that these be shared as well.

⁸The people ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. ⁹Now those who had eaten were about four thousand in number. Jesus sent them away ¹⁰and immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

Why Do They Demand a Sign?

(Mt 16:1; Lk 12:54)

•  ¹¹The Pharisees came and started to argue with Jesus. Hoping to embarrass him, they asked for some heavenly sign. ¹²Then his spirit was moved. He sighed deeply and said, “Why do the people of this present time ask for a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this people.” ¹³Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side of the lake.

•  ¹⁴The disciples had forgotten to bring more bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵Then Jesus warned them, “Keep your eyes open and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” ¹⁶And they said to one another, “He saw that we have no bread.”

¹⁷Aware of this, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about the loaves you are short of? Do you not see or understand? Are your minds closed? ¹⁸Have you eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear? And do you not remember ¹⁹when I broke the five loaves among five thousand? How many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?” They answered, “Twelve.” ²⁰“And having distributed seven loaves to the four thousand, how many wicker baskets of leftovers did you collect?” They answered, “Seven.” ²¹Then Jesus said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

Cure of the Blind Man at Bethsaida

•  ²²When they came to Bethsaida, Jesus was asked to touch a blind man who was brought to him. ²³He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had put spittle on his eyes and laid his hands upon him, he asked, “Can you see anything?” ²⁴The man, who was beginning to see, replied, “I see people! They look like trees, but they move around.” ²⁵Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again, and the man could see perfectly. His sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly.

²⁶Then Jesus sent him home, saying, “Do not return to the village.”

Peter’s Profession of Faith

(Mt 16:13; Lk 9:18; Jn 6:69)

•  ²⁷Jesus set out with his disciples for the villages around Caesarea Philippi, and on the way, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” ²⁸And they told him, “Some say, you are John the Baptist; others say, you are Elijah or one of the prophets.”

Then Jesus asked them, ²⁹“But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” ³⁰And he ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

³¹Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man had to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law. He would be killed and, after three days, rise again. ³²Jesus said all this quite openly so that Peter took him aside and began to protest strongly. ³³But Jesus, turning around, and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God does, but as people do.”

Take Up Your Cross

(Mt 16:24; Lk 9:23)

•  ³⁴Then Jesus called the people and his disciples and said, “If you want to follow me, deny yourself; take up your cross and follow me. ³⁵For if you choose to save your life, you will lose it; and if you lose your life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, you will save it.

³⁶What good is it to gain the whole world while destroying your soul? ³⁷There is nothing more precious than your soul. ³⁸I tell you, if anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, among this adulterous and sinful people, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

The Transfiguration of Jesus

(Mt 17:1; Lk 9:28)

9 | •  ¹And he went on to say, “Truly I tell you, there are some here who will not die before they see the kingdom of God coming with power.”

²Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain. There, his appearance was changed before their eyes. ³Even his clothes shone, becoming as white as no bleach of this world could make them. ⁴Elijah and Moses appeared to them; the two were talking with Jesus.

⁵Then Peter spoke and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶For he did not know what to say: they were overcome with awe. ⁷But a cloud formed, covering them in a shadow and from the cloud came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved: listen to him!” ⁸And suddenly, as they looked around, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus with them.

⁹As they came down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰So they kept this to themselves, although they discussed with one another what ‘to rise from the dead’ could mean.

The Question About Elijah

•  ¹¹Finally, they asked him, “Why, then, do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” ¹²Jesus answered them, “Of course, Elijah will come first so that everything may be as it should be. But why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised? ¹³I tell you that Elijah has already come; and they have treated him as they pleased, as the Scriptures say of him.”

The Boy with an Evil Spirit

•  ¹⁴When they came to the place where they had left the disciples, they saw many people around them and some teachers of the law arguing with them. ¹⁵When the people saw Jesus, they were astonished and ran to greet him.

¹⁶He asked, “What are you arguing about with them?” ¹⁷A man answered him from the crowd, “Master, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit, deaf and mute. ¹⁸Whenever the spirit seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes stiff all over. I asked your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not.”

¹⁹Jesus replied, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰And they brought the boy to him.

As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it shook and convulsed the boy, who fell on the ground and began rolling about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹Then Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “From childhood. ²²And it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to destroy him. If you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.”

²³Jesus asked him, “Why do you say, ‘If you can?’ All things are possible for one who believes.” ²⁴Immediately, the boy's father cried out, “I do believe, but help the little faith I have.”

²⁵Jesus saw that the crowd was increasing rapidly, so he ordered the evil spirit, “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you: Leave the boy and never enter him again.” ²⁶The evil spirit shook and convulsed the boy, and with a terrible shriek came out. The boy lay like a corpse, and people said, “He is dead.” ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him, and the boy stood up.

²⁸After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples privately asked him, “Why couldn’t we drive out the spirit?” ²⁹And he answered, “Only prayer can drive out this kind, nothing else.”

Jesus Again Speaks of His Passion

(Mt 17:22; Lk 9:43)

•  ³⁰After leaving that place, they made their way through Galilee, but Jesus did not want people to know where he was ³¹because he was teaching his disciples. And he told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, but three days after he has been killed, he will rise.” ³²The disciples, however, did not understand these words and were afraid to ask him what he meant.

Who Is the Greatest?

(Mt 18:1; Lk 9:46; 18:17; 22:24)

•  ³³They came to Capernaum, and once inside the house, Jesus asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” ³⁴But they did not answer because they had been arguing about who was the greatest.

•  ³⁵Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If someone wants to be first, let him be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶Then he took a little child, placed him in their midst, and putting his arms around him, he said to them, ³⁷“Whoever welcomes a child such as this in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not me, but the One who sent me.”

•  ³⁸John told him, “Master, we saw someone who drove out demons by calling upon your name, and we tried to forbid him because he does not belong to our group.” ³⁹Jesus answered, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in my name can soon after speak evil of me. ⁴⁰For whoever is not against us is for us.

⁴¹If anyone gives you a drink of water because you belong to Christ and bear his name, truly, I say to you, he will not go without reward.

If Your Eye Causes You to Sin

(5:13; Mt 18:6; Lk 17:1)

•  ⁴²If anyone should cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble and sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a great millstone around his neck.

⁴³If your hand makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a hand than with two hands to go to hell, to the fire that never goes out. ⁴⁵And if your foot makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a foot than with both feet to be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷And if your eye makes you fall into sin, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, keeping both eyes, to be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸where the worm that eat them never die and the fire never goes out. ⁴⁹The fire itself will preserve them.

⁵⁰Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.”

Divorce

(5:31; Mt 19:1; Lk 16:18)

10 | •  ¹Jesus then left that place and went to the province of Judea, beyond the Jordan River. Once more, crowds gathered around him and once more, he taught them as he always did. ²Some (Pharisees came and) put him to the test with this question: “Is it right for a husband to divorce his wife?” ³He replied, “What law did Moses give you?” ⁴They answered, “Moses allowed us to write a certificate of dismissal to divorce.”

⁵Then Jesus said to them, “Moses wrote this law for you because you have hearts of stone. ⁶But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female; ⁷and because of this, man has to leave father and mother and be joined to his wife; ⁸and the two shall become one body. So, they are no longer two, but one body. ⁹Therefore, let no one separate what God has joined.”

¹⁰When they were indoors at home, the disciples again asked him about this ¹¹and he told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against his wife; ¹²and the woman who divorces her husband and marries another, also commits adultery.”

Let the Children Come to Me

(Mt 19:13; Lk 18:15)

•  ¹³People were bringing their little children to him to have him touch them, and the disciples rebuked them for this.

¹⁴When Jesus noticed it, he was very angry and said, “Let the children come to me and don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” ¹⁶Then he took the children in his arms and, laying his hands on them, blessed them.

Jesus and the Rich Man

(Mt 19:16; Lk 18:18)

•  ¹⁷Just as Jesus was setting out on his journey again, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked, “Good Master, what must I do to have eternal life?”

¹⁸Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: Do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not cheat; honor your father and mother.” ²⁰The man replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments since my childhood.”

²¹Then Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, “For you, one thing is lacking. Go, sell what you have, and give the money to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then, come and follow me.” ²²On hearing these words, his face fell, and he went away sorrowful, for he was a man of great wealth.

How Hard for the Rich to Discover the Kingdom!

•  ²³Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴The disciples were shocked at these words. Still, Jesus insisted, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶They were more astonished than ever and wondered, “Who, then, can be saved?” ²⁷Jesus looked steadily at them and said, “For human beings, it is impossible, but not for God; all things are possible with God.”

The Reward for Those Who Follow Jesus

(Mt 19:27; Lk 18:28)

•  ²⁸Peter spoke up and said, “We have given up everything to follow you.” ²⁹Jesus answered, “Truly, there is no one who has left house, or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children, or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, ³⁰who will not receive his reward. I say to you: even in persecution, he will receive a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands in the present time and, in the world to come, eternal life. ³¹Do pay attention: many who now are the first will be last, and the last, first.”

³²They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead. The Twelve were anxious, and those who followed were afraid. Once more, Jesus took the Twelve aside to tell them what was to happen to him. ³³“You see, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the foreigners ³⁴who will make fun of him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him, but three days later he will rise.”

James and John Ask for the First Places

(Mt 20:20; Lk 22:24)

•  ³⁵James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Master, we want you to grant us what we are going to ask of you.” ³⁶And he said, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷They answered, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left when you come in your glory.”

³⁸But Jesus told them, “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized how I am baptized?” ³⁹They answered, “We can.” And Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink; and you will be baptized in the way that I am baptized; ⁴⁰but to sit at my right hand or my left is not mine to grant. It has been prepared for others.”

⁴¹On hearing this, the other ten were angry with James and John. ⁴²Jesus then called them to him and said, “As you know, the so-called rulers of the nations behave like tyrants, and those in authority oppress the people. ⁴³But it shall not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever would be first among you shall make himself slave of all. ⁴⁵Think of the Son of Man who has not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life to redeem many.”

The Blind Man of Jericho

(Mt 20:29; Lk 18:35)

•  ⁴⁶They came to Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth passing by, he began to call out, “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸Many people scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying, “Take heart! Get up, he is calling you!” ⁵⁰He immediately threw aside his cloak, jumped up, and went to Jesus.

⁵¹Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Master, let me see again!” ⁵²And Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately, he could see, and he followed Jesus along the road.

The Triumphant Entry Into Jerusalem

(Mt 21:1; Lk 19:28; Jn 12:12)

11 | •  ¹When they drew near to Jerusalem and arrived at Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples with these instructions, ²“Go to the village ahead of you and, as you enter it, you will find there a colt tied up that no one has ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³If anyone says to you, ‘What are you doing?’ give this answer, ‘The Lord needs it, but he will send it back immediately.’”

⁴They went off and found the colt out in the street, tied at the door. ⁵As they were untying it, some bystanders asked, “Why are you untying that colt?” ⁶They answered as Jesus had told them, and the people allowed them to continue.

⁷They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks on its back, and Jesus sat upon it. ⁸Many people also spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread leafy branches from the fields. ⁹Then the people who walked ahead, and those who followed behind Jesus, began to shout, “Hosannah! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰Blessed is the kingdom of our father David, which comes! Hosannah in the highest!”

¹¹So Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And after he had looked all around, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus Curses the Barren Fig Tree

(Mt 21:18; Lk 13:6)

•  ¹²The next day, when they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry. ¹³In the distance, he noticed a fig tree covered with leaves, so he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴Then Jesus said to the fig tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit!” And his disciples heard these words.

Jesus Clears the Temple

(Mt 21:10; Lk 19:45; Jn 2:14)

•  ¹⁵When they reached Jerusalem, Jesus went to the temple and began to drive away all the people he saw buying and selling there. He overturned the moneychangers' tables and the stools of those who sold pigeons. ¹⁶And he would not let anyone carry anything through the temple area.

¹⁷Jesus then taught the people, “Does not God say in the Scriptures: My house will be called a House of Prayer for all the nations? But you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

¹⁸The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard of this, and they tried to find a way to destroy him. They were afraid of him because all the people were astonished by his teaching.

¹⁹When evening came, Jesus left the city.

The Power of Faith

(Mt 21:20)

•  ²⁰Early the next morning, as they walked along the road, the disciples saw the fig tree withered to its roots. ²¹Peter then said to him, “Master, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered.”

²²And Jesus replied, “Have faith in God. ²³Truly, I say to you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and have no doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will happen, it will be done for you. ²⁴Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it shall be done for you. ²⁵And when you stand to pray, if you have anything against anyone, forgive, ²⁶so that your heavenly Father may also forgive your sins.”

By What Authority Do You Act?

(Mt 21:23; Lk 20:1)

•  ²⁷They were once again in Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him ²⁸and asked, “What authority do you have to act like this? Who gave you the authority to do the things you do?”

²⁹Jesus said to them, “I will ask you a question, only one, and if you give me an answer, then I will tell you what authority I have to act like this. ³⁰Was John’s baptism of heavenly or human origin? Answer me.”

³¹And they kept arguing among themselves, “If we answer that it was a work of God, he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’” ³²But neither could they answer before the people that the baptism of John was merely something human, for everyone regarded John as a prophet. ³³So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know,” and Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you what authority I have to act as I do.”

Parable of the Tenants

(Mt 21:33; Lk 20:9)

12 | •  ¹Using parables, Jesus went on to say, “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then, he leased the vineyard to tenants and went abroad.

²In due time, he sent a servant to receive the fruit of the vineyard from the tenants. ³But they seized the servant, struck him, and sent him back empty-handed. ⁴Again, the man sent another servant. They also struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. ⁵He sent another, and they killed him. In the same way, they treated many others: some they beat up and others they killed. ⁶One was still left, his beloved son. And so, last of all, he sent him to the tenants, for he said, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let’s kill him, and the property will be ours.’ ⁸So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. ⁹Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

¹⁰And Jesus added, “Have you not read this text of the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the keystone; ¹¹this is the Lord’s doing, and we marvel at it?”

¹²They wanted to arrest him, for they realized that Jesus meant this parable for them, but they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

(Mt 22:15; Lk 20:20)

•  ¹³They sent to Jesus some Pharisees with members of Herod’s party, to trap him by his own words. ¹⁴They came and said to Jesus, “Master, we know that you are truthful; you are not influenced by anyone, and your answers do not vary according to who is listening to you, but you truly teach God’s way. Tell us, is it against the law to pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay them or not?”

¹⁵But Jesus saw through their trick and answered, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a silver coin, and let me see it.” ¹⁶They brought him one, and Jesus asked, “Whose image is this and whose name?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” ¹⁷Then Jesus said, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were greatly astonished.

The Resurrection

(Mt 22:23; Lk 20:27)

•  ¹⁸The Sadducees also came to Jesus. Since they claim that there is no resurrection, they questioned him in this way, ¹⁹“Master, in the Scriptures, Moses gave us this law: If anyone dies and leaves a wife but no children, his brother must take the woman and, with her, have a baby who will be considered the child of his deceased brother. ²⁰Now, there were seven brothers. The first married a wife, but he died without leaving any children. ²¹The second took the wife, and he also died, leaving no children. The same thing happened to the third. ²²In fact, all seven brothers died, leaving no children. Last of all, the woman died. ²³Now, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven brothers had been married to her.”

²⁴Jesus replied, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? ²⁵When they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry, but are like the angels in heaven.

²⁶Now, about the resurrection of the dead, have you never thought about the burning bush in the book of Moses? God said to Moses: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ²⁷He is the God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are totally wrong.”

The Greatest Commandment

(Mt 22:34; Lk 10:25; 20:40)

•  ²⁸A teacher of the law had been listening to this discussion and admired how Jesus answered them. So he came up and asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”

²⁹Jesus answered, “The first is: Hear, Israel! The Lord, our God, is One Lord; ³⁰and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. ³¹And after this comes a second commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two.”

³²The teacher of the law said to him, “Well spoken, Master; you are right when you say that he is one and there is no other besides him. ³³To love him with all our heart, with all our understanding, and with all our strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.”

³⁴Jesus approved this answer and said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared ask him any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

(Mt 22:41; Lk 20:41; Mt 23:6)

³⁵As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “The teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the Son of David. How can that be? ³⁶For David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared: The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet!’ ³⁷If David himself calls him Lord, in what way can he be his Son?”

Many people came to Jesus and listened to him gladly.

•  ³⁸As he was teaching, he also said to them, “Beware of those teachers of the law who enjoy walking around in long robes and being greeted in the marketplace; ³⁹and who like to occupy reserved seats in the synagogues; and the first places at feasts. ⁴⁰They even devour the widow’s and the orphan’s goods while making a show of long prayers. How severe a sentence they will receive!”

The Widow’s Offering

(Lk 21:1)

•  ⁴¹Jesus sat opposite the temple treasury and watched the people drop money into the treasury box, and many rich people put in large offerings. ⁴²But a poor widow also came and dropped in two small coins.

⁴³Then Jesus called his disciples and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those who gave offerings. ⁴⁴For all of them gave from their plenty; but she gave from her poverty and put in everything she had, her very living.”

Jesus Speaks of the End

(Mt 24:1; Lk 21:5; 19:41; 17:23)

13 | •  ¹As Jesus left the temple, one of his disciples said, “Look, Master, at the enormous stones and wonderful buildings here!” ²And Jesus answered, “You see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another, but all will be torn down.”

³After a while, when Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew approached him privately and asked, ⁴“Tell us when this will be. What sign will be given us before all this happens?”

⁵Then Jesus began to tell them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you. ⁶Many will come in my name saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many people.

⁷When you hear of wars and threats of war, don’t be troubled; this must occur, but the end is not yet. ⁸Nation will fight nation and kingdom will oppose kingdom. There will be earthquakes everywhere and famines, too. And these will be like the first pains of childbirth. ⁹Be on your guard, for you will be arrested and taken to court. You will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. ¹⁰For preaching the gospel to all nations has to come first.

¹¹So, when you are arrested and brought to trial, don’t worry about what you are to say, for you shall say what will be given to you in that hour. It is not you who are speaking but the holy Spirit.

¹²Brother will betray brother even to death, and the father his child. Children will turn against their parents and have them put to death. ¹³You will be hated by all for my name’s sake, but whoever holds out to the end will be saved.

Last Days of Jerusalem

¹⁴So, when you see the desolating abomination set in the place where it should not be (may the reader understand!), then let those in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵If you are on the housetop, don’t come down to take anything with you. ¹⁶If you are in the field, don’t turn back to fetch your cloak. ¹⁷How hard it will be then for pregnant women and mothers with babies at the breast! ¹⁸Pray that it may not happen in winter. ¹⁹For this will be a time of distress, such as was never known from the beginning, when God created the world, until now; and is never to be known again. ²⁰So that, if the Lord had not shortened that time, no one would survive; but he decided to shorten it for the sake of those whom he has chosen.

²¹And if anyone says to you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah! Look, he is there!’—do not believe it. ²²For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders to deceive even God’s chosen people if that were possible. ²³Be on your guard then; I have told you everything beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

(Mt 24:29; Lk 21:25)

•  ²⁴Later in those days, after that disastrous time, the sun will grow dark, the moon will not give its light, ²⁵the stars will fall out of the sky, and the whole universe will be shaken. ²⁶People will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷And he will send the angels to gather his chosen people from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.

²⁸Learn a lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its branches become tender and it sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹Similarly, when you see these things happening, know that the time is near, even at the door. ³⁰Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all this has happened. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

•  ³²But, regarding that day and that hour, no one knows when it will come, not even the angels, not even the Son, but only the Father.

•  ³³Be alert and watch, for you don’t know when the time will come. ³⁴When a man goes abroad and leaves his home, he puts his servants in charge, giving to each one some responsibility, and he orders the doorkeeper to stay awake. ³⁵So stay awake, for you don’t know when the lord of the house is coming, in the evening, or at midnight, when the cock crows or before dawn. ³⁶If he comes suddenly, do not let him catch you asleep.

³⁷And what I say to you, I say to all: Stay awake!”

Conspiracy Against Jesus

(Mt 26:2; Lk 22:1; Jn 11:47)

14 | •  ¹It was now two days before the feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for a way to arrest Jesus on a false charge and put him to death ²but they said, “Not during the Festival, for there might be trouble among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

(Mt 26:6; Jn 12:1)

•  ³Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper. As he reclined at dinner, a woman entered carrying an alabaster jar of expensive perfume made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfumed oil on Jesus’ head. ⁴Some of them became angry and said, “What a useless waste of perfume. ⁵It could have been sold for more than three hundred silver coins and the money given to the poor.” And they criticized her.

⁶But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why are you troubling her? What she has just done for me is a very charitable work. ⁷At any time, you can help the poor, for you always have them with you; but you will not have me forever. ⁸This woman did what she had to do: she anointed my body for burial before I die. ⁹Truly, I say to you, wherever the Good News is proclaimed, and this will be throughout the world, what she has done will be told in praise of her.”

¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went off to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹On hearing him, they were excited and promised to give him money. So Judas started planning the best way to hand Jesus over to them.

The Lord’s Supper

(Mt 26:17; Lk 22:7; 1 Cor 11:23; Jn 13)

•  ¹²On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day when the Passover Lamb was killed, the disciples asked him, “Where would you have us go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”

¹³So Jesus sent two of his disciples with these instructions, “Go into the city, and there, a man will come to you carrying a jar of water. Follow him to the house he enters and say to the owner, ¹⁴‘The Master says, “Where is the room where I may eat the Passover meal with my disciples?”’ ¹⁵Then he will show you an already arranged and furnished large room upstairs. There, you will prepare for us.” ¹⁶The disciples went off. When they reached the city, they found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

¹⁷When it was evening, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸While they were at table eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who shares my meal.” ¹⁹They were deeply distressed at hearing this and asked him, one after the other, “You don’t mean me, do you?” ²⁰And Jesus answered, “It is one of you Twelve, one who dips his bread in the dish with me. ²¹The Son of Man is going as the Scriptures say he will. But alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed; better for him if he had never been born.”

²²While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them. And he said, “Take this. It is my body.” ²³Then he took a cup, and after he had given thanks, he passed it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴And he said, “This is my blood, the blood of the Covenant poured out for many. ²⁵ Truly, I say to you, I will not taste the fruit of the vine again until that day when I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.”

Peter’s Denial Foretold

(Mt 26:30; Lk 22:34; Jn 13:37)

²⁶After singing psalms of praise, they went out to the Mount of Olives. ²⁷And Jesus said to them, “All of you will be dismayed and fall away; for the Scripture says: I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. ²⁸But after I am raised, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”

²⁹Then Peter said to him, “Even though all the others fall away, I will not.” ³⁰And Jesus replied, “Truly I say to you, today, this very night before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” ³¹But Peter insisted, “Though I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And all of them said the same.

Gethsemane

(Lk 22:40; Jn 18:1)

•  ³²They came to a place, which is called Gethsemane; and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”

³³But he took Peter, James, and John along with him, and, becoming filled with fear and distress, ³⁴he said to them, “My soul is full of sorrow, even to death. Remain here and stay awake.”

³⁵Then he went a little further on and fell to the ground, praying that, if possible, this hour might pass him by. Jesus said, ³⁶“Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet, not what I want, but what you want.”

³⁷Then he came and found them asleep, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake for one hour? ³⁸Stay awake and pray, all of you, so you may not succumb to temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the body is weak.” ³⁹And, going away, he prayed, saying the same words. ⁴⁰When he came back to the disciples, he found them asleep again. They could not keep their eyes open, and they did not know what to say to him.

⁴¹When he returned the third time, he asked them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is all over; the time has come: the Son of Man is now given into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Get up, let us go! Look: the one who betrays me is approaching.”

The Arrest

(Mt 26:47; Lk 22:47; Jn 18:2)

•  ⁴³While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, who had been sent by the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders. ⁴⁴The traitor had arranged a signal for them, “The one I kiss, he is the man. Arrest him and take him away under guard.”

⁴⁵So, when he came, he went directly to Jesus and said, “Master! Master!” and kissed him. ⁴⁶Then they seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁴⁷One of the bystanders drew his sword and struck out at the High Priest’s servant, cutting off his ear.

⁴⁸Jesus turned to them and said, “So, you have set out against a robber! Did you need swords and clubs to arrest me? ⁴⁹Day after day, I was among you, teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰Then they all deserted him and fled.

⁵¹A young man, covered by nothing but a linen cloth, followed Jesus. When they took hold of him, ⁵²he left the cloth in their hands and fled away naked.

•  ⁵³They led Jesus to the High Priest, and all the chief priests assembled with the elders and the teachers of the law. ⁵⁴Peter had followed him at a distance and went right into the courtyard of the High Priest, where he sat with the guards, warming himself at the fire.

⁵⁵Now, the chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus so that they might put him to death, but they were unable to find anything. ⁵⁶Even though many came up to speak falsely against him, their evidence did not agree. ⁵⁷At last, some stood up and gave this false witness: ⁵⁸“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made by human hands, and in three days I will build another not made by human hands.” ⁵⁹But even so, their evidence did not agree.

•  ⁶⁰The High Priest then stood up in the midst of them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer at all? What about this evidence against you?” ⁶¹But Jesus was silent and made no reply.

The High Priest put a second question to him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” ⁶²Then Jesus answered, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Most Powerful and coming with the clouds of heaven around him.” ⁶³Then the High Priest, tearing his garments to show his horror, said, “What more evidence do we need? ⁶⁴You have just heard his blasphemous words. What is your decision?” They all condemned Jesus, saying, “He must die.”

⁶⁵Some of them began to spit on Jesus, and, blindfolding him, they struck him and said, “Play the prophet!” And the guards set upon him with blows.

Peter Disowns Jesus

(Mt 26:69; Jn 18:15)

•  ⁶⁶While Peter was below in the courtyard, a servant-girl of the High Priest came by. ⁶⁷Noticing Peter beside the fire, she looked straight at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the Nazarene.” ⁶⁸But he denied it, “I don’t know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out through the gateway, and a cock crowed.

⁶⁹The servant-girl saw him there and told the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” ⁷⁰But Peter denied it again. After a little while, those standing nearby said to Peter, “Of course, you are one of them; you are a Galilean, aren’t you?” ⁷¹And Peter began to justify himself with curses and oaths, “I don’t know the man you are talking about.”

⁷²Just then, a cock crowed a second time, and Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Jesus Before Pilate

(Mt 27:11; Lk 23:2; Jn 18:28)

15 | ¹Early in the morning, the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the law (that is, the whole Council or Sanhedrin) had their plan ready. They put Jesus in chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

²Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “You say so.” ³As the chief priests accused Jesus of many things, ⁴Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer at all? See how many charges they bring against you.” ⁵But Jesus gave no further answers, much to Pilate’s surprise.

•  ⁶At every Passover festival, Pilate used to free any prisoner the people asked for. ⁷Now there was a man called Barabbas, jailed with the rioters who had committed murder in the uprising. ⁸When the crowd went up to ask Pilate the usual favor, ⁹he said to them, “Do you want me to set free the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰for he realized that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him out of envy. ¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask instead for the release of Barabbas. ¹²Pilate replied, “And what shall I do with the man you call King of the Jews?” ¹³The crowd shouted back, “Crucify him!” ¹⁴Pilate asked, “What evil has he done?” But they shouted the louder, “Crucify him!”

Jesus Crowned with Thorns

(Mt 27:27; Jn 19:1)

•  ¹⁵As Pilate wanted to please the people, he freed Barabbas, and, having had Jesus flogged, Pilate handed him over to be crucified.

¹⁶The soldiers took him inside the courtyard, known as the praetorium, and called the rest of their companions. ¹⁷They clothed him in a purple cloak and, twisting a crown of thorns, forced it onto his head. ¹⁸Then they saluted him, “Long life to the King of the Jews!” ¹⁹With a stick, they gave him blows on the head and spat on him; then they knelt down, pretending to worship him.

²⁰When they had finished mocking him, they took off the purple cloak and put on his own clothes.

The Crucifixion

The soldiers led him out of the city to crucify him. ²¹On the way, they met Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country and forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.

²²When they had led him to the place called Golgotha, which means the Skull, ²³they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he would not take it. ²⁴Then they nailed him to the cross and divided his clothes among themselves, casting lots to decide what every man should take.

²⁵It was about nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶The statement of his offense was displayed above his head, and it reads, “The King of the Jews.” ²⁷They also crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. ²⁸And the Scripture was fulfilled which says: And with lawless ones, he was numbered.

²⁹People passing by laughed at him, shook their heads, and jeered, “Aha! So, you are able to tear down the temple and rebuild it in three days? ³⁰Save yourself now and come down from the cross!”

³¹In the same way, the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him, saying to one another, “The man who saved others cannot save himself. ³²Let’s see the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from his cross, and then we will believe in him.” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus insulted him.

The Death of Jesus

(Mt 27:45; Lk 23:44; Jn 19:28)

•  ³³When noon came, darkness fell over the whole land and lasted until three o’clock; ³⁴and at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?” ³⁵As soon as they heard these words, some bystanders said, “Listen! He is calling for Elijah.” ³⁶And one of them quickly filled a sponge with bitter wine and, putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink, saying, “Now let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down.”

³⁷But Jesus uttered a loud cry and gave up his spirit. ³⁸And immediately, the curtain that enclosed the temple Sanctuary was torn in two, from top to bottom.

³⁹The captain, standing in front of him, saw how Jesus died and heard the cry he gave, and he said, “Truly, this man was the Son of God.”

⁴⁰Some women also watched from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome, ⁴¹who had followed Jesus when he was in Galilee and saw to his needs. Others had come up with him to Jerusalem.

The Burial

•  ⁴²It was now evening and, as it was Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath, ⁴³Joseph of Arimathea boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Joseph was a respected member of the Council, himself, waiting for the kingdom of God.

⁴⁴Pilate was surprised that Jesus should have died so soon, so he summoned the captain and inquired if Jesus was already dead. ⁴⁵After hearing the captain, he let Joseph have the body.

⁴⁶Joseph took it down and wrapped it in the linen sheet he had bought. He laid the body in a tomb cut out of the rock and rolled a stone across the entrance to the tomb. ⁴⁷Now Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joses took note of where the body had been laid.

He Has Been Raised, he Is not Here

(Mt 28; Lk 24; Jn 20)

16 | •  ¹When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint the body. ²And very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they came to the tomb.

³They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴But, as they looked up, they noticed the stone had already been rolled away. It was a very big stone.

⁵As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right, and they were amazed. ⁶But he said to them, “Don’t be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified; he has been raised and is not here. This is, however, the place where they laid him. ⁷Now go and tell his disciples and Peter: Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there, just as he told you.” ⁸The women went out and fled from the tomb for terror and amazement had seized them. And they were so afraid that they said nothing to anyone.

Another Conclusion of Mark’s Gospel

•  ⁹After Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary of Magdala, from whom he had driven out seven demons. ¹⁰She went and reported the news to his followers, who were now mourning and weeping. ¹¹But when they heard that he lived and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

¹²After this, he showed himself in another form to two of them as they walked into the country. ¹³These men also went back and told the others, but they did not believe them.

¹⁴Later Jesus showed himself to the Eleven while they were at table. He reproached them for their unbelief, and hardness of heart, in refusing to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

•  ¹⁵Then he told them, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. ¹⁶The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned. ¹⁷Signs like these will accompany those who have believed: in my name, they will cast out demons and speak new languages; 18 they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

¹⁹So then, after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took his place at the right hand of God. ²⁰The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs accompanying it.