John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

1 The ^(B)beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, ^(C)the Son of God. ² As it is written in ^[a]the Prophets:

^4 (F)John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance ^[b]for the remission of sins. ^5 (G)Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

⁶ Now John was ^(H)clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he preached, saying, ^(I)“There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. ^8 (J)I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you ^(K)with the Holy Spirit.”

John Baptizes Jesus^(L)

^9 (M)It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ^10 (N)And immediately, coming up ^[c]from the water, He saw the heavens ^[d]parting and the Spirit ^(O)descending upon Him like a dove. ¹¹ Then a voice came from heaven, ^(P)“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Satan Tempts Jesus^(Q)

^12 (R)Immediately the Spirit ^[e]drove Him into the wilderness. ¹³ And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; ^(S)and the angels ministered to Him.

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(T)

^14 (U)Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, ^(V)preaching the gospel ^[f]of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵ and saying, ^(W)“The time is fulfilled, and ^(X)the kingdom of God ^[g]is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples^(Y)

^16 (Z)And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become ^(AA)fishers of men.” ^18 (AB)They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

¹⁹ When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. ²⁰ And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit^(AC)

^21 (AD)Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the ^(AE)synagogue and taught. ^22 (AF)And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

²³ Now there was a man in their synagogue with an ^(AG)unclean spirit. And he cried out, ²⁴ saying, “Let us alone! ^(AH)What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I ^(AI)know who You are—the ^(AJ)Holy One of God!”

²⁵ But Jesus ^(AK)rebuked him, saying, ^[h]“Be quiet, and come out of him!” ²⁶ And when the unclean spirit ^(AL)had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. ²⁷ Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ^[i]“What is this? What new ^[j]doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” ²⁸ And immediately His ^(AM)fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed^(AN)

^29 (AO)Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰ But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. ³¹ So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset^(AP)

^32 (AQ)At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. ³³ And the whole city was gathered together at the door. ³⁴ Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and ^(AR)cast out many demons; and He ^(AS)did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Preaching in Galilee^(AT)

³⁵ Now ^(AU)in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a ^[k]solitary place; and there He ^(AV)prayed. ³⁶ And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. ³⁷ When they found Him, they said to Him, ^(AW)“Everyone ^(AX)is looking for You.”

³⁸ But He said to them, ^(AY)“Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because ^(AZ)for this purpose I have come forth.”

^39 (BA)And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and ^(BB)casting out demons.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper^(BC)

^40 (BD)Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with ^(BE)compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² As soon as He had spoken, ^(BF)immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. ⁴³ And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things ^(BG)which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

^45 (BH)However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; ^(BI)and they came to Him from every direction.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic^(BJ)

2 And again ^(BK)He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. ^2 [l]Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. ³ Then they came to Him, bringing a ^(BL)paralytic who was carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

⁶ And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? ^(BM)Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸ But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? ^9 (BN)Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has ^[m]power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, ¹¹ “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” ¹² Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and ^(BO)glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Matthew the Tax Collector^(BP)

^13 (BQ)Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. ^14 (BR)As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ^(BS)“Follow Me.” So he arose and ^(BT)followed Him.

^15 (BU)Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. ¹⁶ And when the scribes ^[n]and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said to them, ^(BV)“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, ^[o]to repentance.”

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting^(BW)

^18 (BX)The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, “Can the ^[p]friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. ²⁰ But the days will come when the bridegroom will be ^(BY)taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. ²¹ No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(BZ)

^23 (CA)Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began ^(CB)to pluck the heads of grain. ²⁴ And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is ^(CC)not lawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ But He said to them, “Have you never read ^(CD)what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: ²⁶ how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, ^(CE)which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”

²⁷ And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the ^(CF)Sabbath. ²⁸ Therefore ^(CG)the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Healing on the Sabbath^(CH)

3 And ^(CI)He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. ² So they ^(CJ)watched Him closely, whether He would ^(CK)heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might ^[q]accuse Him. ³ And He said to the man who had the withered hand, ^[r]“Step forward.” ⁴ Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. ⁵ And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the ^(CL)hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored ^[s]as whole as the other. ^6 (CM)Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with ^(CN)the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

A Great Multitude Follows Jesus^(CO)

⁷ But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, ^(CP)and from Judea ⁸ and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how ^(CQ)many things He was doing, came to Him. ⁹ So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. ¹⁰ For He healed ^(CR)many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to ^(CS)touch Him. ^11 (CT)And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, ^(CU)“You are the Son of God.” ¹² But ^(CV)He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

The Twelve Apostles^(CW)

^13 (CX)And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. ¹⁴ Then He appointed twelve, ^[t]that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, ¹⁵ and to have ^[u]power ^[v]to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: ^16 [w]Simon, ^(CY)to whom He gave the name Peter; ¹⁷ James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

A House Divided Cannot Stand^(CZ)

²⁰ Then the multitude came together again, ^(DA)so that they could not so much as eat bread. ²¹ But when His ^(DB)own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, ^(DC)for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

²² And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ^(DD)“He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ^(DE)ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”

^23 (DF)So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. ^27 (DG)No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.

The Unpardonable Sin^(DH)

^28 (DI)“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; ²⁹ but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— ³⁰ because they ^(DJ)said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him^(DK)

^31 (DL)Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. ³² And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers ^[x]are outside seeking You.”

³³ But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” ³⁴ And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the ^(DM)will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower^(DN)

4 And ^(DO)again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. ² Then He taught them many things by parables, ^(DP)and said to them in His teaching:

³ “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds ^[y]of the air came and devoured it. ⁵ Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. ⁷ And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no ^[z]crop. ⁸ But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

⁹ And He said ^[aa]to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables^(DQ)

^10 (DR)But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. ¹¹ And He said to them, “To you it has been given to ^(DS)know the ^[ab]mystery of the kingdom of God; but to ^(DT)those who are outside, all things come in parables, ¹² so that

The Parable of the Sower Explained^(DV)

¹³ And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? ^14 (DW)The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. ¹⁶ These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; ¹⁷ and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. ¹⁸ Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ and the ^(DX)cares of this world, ^(DY)the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, ^[ac]accept it, and bear ^(DZ)fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Light Under a Basket^(EA)

^21 (EB)Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? ^22 (EC)For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. ^23 (ED)If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

²⁴ Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. ^(EE)With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. ^25 (EF)For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ And He said, ^(EG)“The kingdom of God is as if a man should ^[ad]scatter seed on the ground, ²⁷ and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and ^(EH)grow, he himself does not know how. ²⁸ For the earth ^(EI)yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. ²⁹ But when the grain ripens, immediately ^(EJ)he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed^(EK)

³⁰ Then He said, ^(EL)“To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; ³² but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Jesus’ Use of Parables

^33 (EM)And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. ³⁴ But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, ^(EN)He explained all things to His disciples.

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus^(EO)

^35 (EP)On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” ³⁶ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. ³⁸ But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ^(EQ)“Teacher, ^(ER)do You not care that we are perishing?”

³⁹ Then He arose and ^(ES)rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ^(ET)“Peace,^[ae] be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? ^(EU)How^[af] is it that you have no faith?” ⁴¹ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

A Demon-Possessed Man Healed^(EV)

5 Then ^(EW)they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the ^[ag]Gadarenes. ² And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an ^(EX)unclean spirit, ³ who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind ^[ah]him, not even with chains, ⁴ because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. ⁵ And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

⁶ When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. ⁷ And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I ^(EY)implore^[ai] You by God that You do not torment me.”

⁸ For He said to him, ^(EZ)“Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” ⁹ Then He asked him, “What is your name?”

And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” ¹⁰ Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

¹¹ Now a large herd of ^(FA)swine was feeding there near the mountains. ¹² So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” ¹³ And ^[aj]at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

¹⁴ So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been ^(FB)demon-possessed and had the legion, ^(FC)sitting and ^(FD)clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ¹⁶ And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. ¹⁷ Then ^(FE)they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.

¹⁸ And when He got into the boat, ^(FF)he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. ¹⁹ However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” ²⁰ And he departed and began to ^(FG)proclaim in ^[ak]Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all ^(FH)marveled.

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed^(FI)

^21 (FJ)Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. ^22 (FK)And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet ²³ and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and ^(FL)lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” ²⁴ So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

²⁵ Now a certain woman ^(FM)had a flow of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and ^(FN)touched His garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

²⁹ Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the ^[al]affliction. ³⁰ And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that ^(FO)power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

³¹ But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

³² And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. ³³ But the woman, ^(FP)fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. ³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, ^(FQ)your faith has made you well. ^(FR)Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

^35 (FS)While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

³⁶ As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only ^(FT)believe.” ³⁷ And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. ³⁸ Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw ^[am]a tumult and those who ^(FU)wept and wailed loudly. ³⁹ When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but ^(FV)sleeping.”

⁴⁰ And they ridiculed Him. ^(FW)But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. ⁴¹ Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ⁴² Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were ^(FX)overcome with great amazement. ⁴³ But ^(FY)He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth^(FZ)

6 Then ^(GA)He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. ² And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were ^(GB)astonished, saying, ^(GC)“Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! ³ Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and ^(GD)brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they ^(GE)were offended at Him.

⁴ But Jesus said to them, ^(GF)“A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” ^5 (GG)Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And ^(GH)He marveled because of their unbelief. ^(GI)Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Sending Out the Twelve^(GJ)

^7 (GK)And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out ^(GL)two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. ⁸ He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— ⁹ but ^(GM)to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.

^10 (GN)Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. ^11 (GO)And ^[an]whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, ^(GP)shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. ^[ao]Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

¹² So they went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³ And they cast out many demons, ^(GQ)and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

John the Baptist Beheaded^(GR)

^14 (GS)Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore ^(GT)these powers are at work in him.”

^15 (GU)Others said, “It is Elijah.”

And others said, “It is ^[ap]the Prophet, ^(GV)or like one of the prophets.”

^16 (GW)But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!” ¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. ¹⁸ Because John had said to Herod, ^(GX)“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

¹⁹ Therefore Herodias ^[aq]held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; ²⁰ for Herod ^(GY)feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he ^[ar]did many things, and heard him gladly.

^21 (GZ)Then an opportune day came when Herod ^(HA)on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. ²² And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” ²³ He also swore to her, ^(HB)“Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

²⁴ So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”

And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”

²⁵ Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

^26 (HC)And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, ²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When his disciples heard of it, they came and ^(HD)took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

Feeding the Five Thousand^(HE)

^30 (HF)Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. ^31 (HG)And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For ^(HH)there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. ^32 (HI)So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

³³ But ^[as]the multitudes saw them departing, and many ^(HJ)knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. ^34 (HK)And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like ^(HL)sheep not having a shepherd. So ^(HM)He began to teach them many things. ^35 (HN)When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. ³⁶ Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves ^[at]bread; for they have nothing to eat.”

³⁷ But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.”

And they said to Him, ^(HO)“Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”

³⁸ But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”

And when they found out they said, ^(HP)“Five, and two fish.”

³⁹ Then He ^(HQ)commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. ⁴¹ And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He ^(HR)looked up to heaven, ^(HS)blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. ⁴² So they all ate and were filled. ⁴³ And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. ⁴⁴ Now those who had eaten the loaves were ^[au]about five thousand men.

Jesus Walks on the Sea^(HT)

^45 (HU)Immediately He ^[av]made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. ⁴⁶ And when He had sent them away, He ^(HV)departed to the mountain to pray. ⁴⁷ Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and ^(HW)would have passed them by. ⁴⁹ And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ^(HX)ghost, and cried out; ⁵⁰ for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, ^(HY)“Be^[aw] of good cheer! It is I; do not be ^(HZ)afraid.” ⁵¹ Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ^(IA)ceased. And they were greatly ^(IB)amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. ⁵² For ^(IC)they had not understood about the loaves, because their ^(ID)heart was hardened.

Many Touch Him and Are Made Well^(IE)

^53 (IF)When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. ⁵⁴ And when they came out of the boat, immediately ^[ax]the people recognized Him, ⁵⁵ ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. ⁵⁶ Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that ^(IG)they might just touch the ^(IH)hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.

Defilement Comes from Within^(II)

7 Then ^(IJ)the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. ² Now ^[ay]when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with ^(IK)unwashed hands, ^[az]they found fault. ³ For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands ^[ba]in a special way, holding the ^(IL)tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

^5 (IM)Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

⁶ He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ^(IN)hypocrites, as it is written:

⁸ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—^[bb]the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

⁹ He said to them, “All too well ^(IP)you ^[bc]reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, ^(IQ)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ^(IR)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, ^(IS)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God), ¹² then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, ¹³ making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

^14 (IT)When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and ^(IU)understand: ¹⁵ There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that ^(IV)defile a man. ^16 (IW)If^[bd] anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”

^17 (IX)When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. ¹⁸ So He said to them, ^(IY)“Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, ^[be]thus purifying all foods?” ²⁰ And He said, ^(IZ)“What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. ^21 (JA)For from within, out of the heart of men, ^(JB)proceed evil thoughts, ^(JC)adulteries, ^(JD)fornications, murders, ²² thefts, ^(JE)covetousness, wickedness, ^(JF)deceit, ^(JG)lewdness, an evil eye, ^(JH)blasphemy, ^(JI)pride, foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

A Gentile Shows Her Faith^(JJ)

^24 (JK)From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre ^[bf]and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be ^(JL)hidden. ²⁵ For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and ^(JM)fell at His feet. ²⁶ The woman was a ^[bg]Greek, a ^[bh]Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept ^[bi]asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

²⁸ And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

³⁰ And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute^(JN)

^31 (JO)Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. ³² Then ^(JP)they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. ³³ And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and ^(JQ)He spat and touched his tongue. ³⁴ Then, ^(JR)looking up to heaven, ^(JS)He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

^35 (JT)Immediately his ears were opened, and the ^[bj]impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶ Then ^(JU)He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. ³⁷ And they were ^(JV)astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He ^(JW)makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Feeding the Four Thousand^(JX)

8 In those days, ^(JY)the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, ² “I have ^(JZ)compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. ³ And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”

⁴ Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”

^5 (KA)He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”

And they said, “Seven.”

⁶ So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. ⁷ They also had a few small fish; and ^(KB)having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. ⁸ So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. ⁹ Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, ^10 (KC)immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

The Pharisees Seek a Sign^(KD)

^11 (KE)Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. ¹² But He ^(KF)sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, ^(KG)no sign shall be given to this generation.”

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod^(KH)

¹³ And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. ^14 (KI)Now ^[bk]the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. ^15 (KJ)Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the ^[bl]leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

¹⁶ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? ^(KK)Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart ^[bm]still hardened? ¹⁸ Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? ^19 (KL)When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?”

They said to Him, “Twelve.”

²⁰ “Also, ^(KM)when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?”

And they said, “Seven.”

²¹ So He said to them, “How is it ^(KN)you do not understand?”

A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida

²² Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a ^(KO)blind man to Him, and begged Him to ^(KP)touch him. ²³ So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when ^(KQ)He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”

²⁵ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. ²⁶ Then He sent him away to his house, saying, ^[bn]“Neither go into the town, ^(KR)nor tell anyone in the town.”

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ^(KS)

^27 (KT)Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

²⁸ So they answered, ^(KU)“John the Baptist; but some say, ^(KV)Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered and said to Him, ^(KW)“You are the Christ.”

^30 (KX)Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(KY)

³¹ And ^(KZ)He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be ^(LA)rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be ^(LB)killed, and after three days rise again. ³² He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ³³ But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He ^(LC)rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not ^[bo]mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him^(LD)

³⁴ When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ^(LE)“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ³⁵ For ^(LF)whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? ³⁷ Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ^38 (LG)For whoever ^(LH)is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”