Mark
Chapter 1
1 The start of the good news about Jesus Christ, God’s Son;
2 The prophets wrote, “Look, I will send my messenger ahead of you to get things ready for you.”
3 A voice cries out in the desert, “Get ready for God’s coming, make a straight path for him.”
4 John baptized in the desert and taught about baptism for forgiveness of sins.
5 Everyone from the area of Judaea and the city of Jerusalem went to him, and they were all baptized by him in the Jordan River while admitting their sins.
6 John wore camel hair clothes with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.
7 He preached, “Someone more powerful than me is coming after me, and I’m not even worthy to bend down and untie his shoes.”
8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
9 During that time, Jesus traveled from Nazareth in Galilee and John baptized him in the Jordan River.
10 Right after coming up from the water, he saw the sky open, and the Spirit like a dove coming down on him.
11 A voice from heaven said, “You are my dear Son, and I am very pleased with you.”
12 Right away, the spirit led him into the desert.
13 He was in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan, with wild animals, and angels helped him.
14 After John was put in jail, Jesus went to Galilee and preached the good news about God’s kingdom.
15 They are saying, “The right time has come, and God’s kingdom is near: change your ways and trust in the good news.”
16 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen.
17 Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of people.”
18 Right away they left their nets and followed him.
19 After he went a little further from there, he saw James, Zebedee’s son, and John his brother, who were in the boat fixing their nets.
20 Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers, and followed him.
21 They went to Capernaum; immediately on the Sabbath, he went into the meeting place and taught.
22 They were amazed at his teaching because he spoke with authority, not like the teachers of the law.
23 In their meeting place, there was a man with an evil spirit; and he shouted,
24 They said, “Leave us alone; what do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”
25 Jesus scolded him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him.”
26 When the evil spirit had hurt him and shouted loudly, it left him.
27 Everyone was amazed and asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching? He gives orders to evil spirits with power, and they listen to him.”
28 Right away, his fame spread all over the area around Galilee.
29 Right after leaving the synagogue, they went into Simon and Andrew’s house, along with James and John.
30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they quickly told Jesus about her.
31 He came, took her hand, helped her stand; at once the fever was gone, and she served them.
32 In the evening, when the sun set, they brought to him all who were sick and those who had demons.
33 Everyone in the city came together at the door.
34 He healed many who were sick with different diseases and drove out many demons; he did not let the demons talk because they knew who he was.
35 In the morning, long before sunrise, he got up, left the house, went to a quiet place, and prayed.
36 Simon and his companions went after him.
37 When they found him, they told him, “Everyone is looking for you.”
38 He said to them, “Let’s go to the nearby towns so I can preach there too; because that’s why I came.”
39 He taught in their meeting places all over Galilee and drove out demons.
40 A man with leprosy came to him, asking for help, knelt down, and said, “If you want to, you can make me clean.”
41 Jesus, feeling sorry for him, reached out, touched him, and said, “I want to; be clean.”
42 Right after he spoke, the leprosy left him, and he was clean.
43 He strictly told him and immediately sent him away.
44 He said to him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest and offer what Moses told you to for your cleansing, as proof to them.”
45 He left and started to spread the news widely, so much that Jesus couldn’t go into the town publicly but stayed in remote areas. And people came to him from everywhere.