October 26

Mark 4:1 — 6:29
(words in gray are deemed interpolations)

4 And he again started teaching beside the sea. And a very great crowd gathered near him, so that he went aboard a boat and sat out on the sea, but all the crowd beside the sea were on the shore. 2 So he began to teach them many things with illustrations and to say to them in his teaching: 3 “Listen. Look! The sower went out to sow. 4 And as he was sowing, some [seed] fell alongside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 And other [seed] fell upon the rocky place where it, of course, did not have much soil, and it immediately sprang up because of not having depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, it was scorched, and for not having root it withered. 7 And other [seed] fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 But others fell upon the fine soil, and, coming up and increasing, they began to yield fruit, and they were bearing thirtyfold, and sixty and a hundred.” 9 So he added the word: “Let him that has ears to listen listen.”

10 Now when he got to be alone, those around him with the twelve began questioning him on the illustrations. 11 And he proceeded to say to them: “To YOU the sacred secret of the kingdom of God has been given, but to those outside all things occur in illustrations, 12 in order that, though looking, they may look and yet not see, and, though hearing, they may hear and yet not get the sense of it, nor ever turn back and forgiveness be given them.” 13 Further, he said to them: “YOU do not know this illustration, and so how will YOU understand all the other illustrations?

14 “The sower sows the word. 15 These, then, are the ones alongside the road where the word is sown; but as soon as they have heard [it] Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 And likewise these are the ones sown upon the rocky places: as soon as they have heard the word, they accept it with joy. 17 Yet they have no root in themselves, but they continue for a time; then as soon as tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, they are stumbled. 18 There are still others who are sown among the thorns; these are the ones that have heard the word, 19 but the anxieties of this system of things and the deceptive power of riches and the desires for the rest of the things make inroads and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 Finally, the ones that were sown on the fine soil are those who listen to the word and favorably receive it and bear fruit thirtyfold and sixty and a hundred.”

21 And he went on to say to them: “A lamp is not brought to be put under a measuring basket or under a bed, is it? It is brought to be put upon a lampstand, is it not? 22 For there is nothing hidden except for the purpose of being exposed; nothing has become carefully concealed but for the purpose of coming into the open. 23 Whoever has ears to listen, let him listen.”

24 He further said to them: “Pay attention to what YOU are hearing. With the measure that YOU are measuring out, YOU will have it measured out to YOU, yes, YOU will have more added to YOU. 25 For he that has will have more given to him; but he that does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

26 So he went on to say: “In this way the kingdom of God is just as when a man casts the seed upon the ground, 27 and he sleeps at night and rises up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows tall, just how he does not know. 28 Of its own self the ground bears fruit gradually, first the grass-blade, then the stalk head, finally the full grain in the head. 29 But as soon as the fruit permits it, he thrusts in the sickle, because the harvesttime has come.”

30 And he went on to say: “With what are we to liken the kingdom of God, or in what illustration shall we set it out? 31 Like a mustard grain, which at the time it was sown in the ground was the tiniest of all the seeds that are on the earth— 32 but when it has been sown, it comes up and becomes greater than all other vegetables and produces great branches, so that the birds of the heaven are able to find lodging under its shadow.”

33 So with many illustrations of that sort he would speak the word to them, as far as they were able to listen. 34 Indeed, without an illustration he would not speak to them, but privately to his disciples he would explain all things.

35 And on that day, when evening had fallen, he said to them: “Let us cross to the other shore.” 36 So, after they had dismissed the crowd, they took him in the boat, just as he was, and there were other boats with him. 37 Now a great violent windstorm broke out, and the waves kept dashing into the boat, so that the boat was close to being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, sleeping upon a pillow. So they woke him up and said to him: “Teacher, do you not care that we are about to perish?” 39 With that he roused himself and rebuked the wind and said to the sea: “Hush! Be quiet!” And the wind abated, and a great calm set in. 40 So he said to them: “Why are YOU fainthearted? Do YOU not yet have any faith?” 41 But they felt an unusual fear, and they would say to one another: “Who really is this, because even the wind and the sea obey him?”

5 Well, they got to the other side of the sea into the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And immediately after he got out of the boat a man under the power of an unclean spirit met him from among the memorial tombs. 3 He had his haunt among the tombs; and up to that time absolutely nobody was able to bind him fast even with a chain, 4 because he had oftentimes been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains were snapped apart by him and the fetters were actually smashed; and nobody had the strength to subdue him. 5 And continually, night and day, he was crying out in the tombs and in the mountains and slashing himself with stones. 6 But on catching sight of Jesus from a distance he ran and did obeisance to him, 7 and, when he had cried out with a loud voice, he said: “What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I put you under oath by God not to torment me.” 8 For he had been telling it: “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.” 9 But he began to ask him: “What is your name?” And he said to him: “My name is Legion, because there are many of us.” 10 And he entreated him many times not to send the spirits out of the country.

11 Now a great herd of swine was there at the mountain feeding. 12 So they entreated him, saying: “Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.” 13 And he permitted them. With that the unclean spirits came out and entered into the swine; and the herd rushed over the precipice into the sea, about two thousand of them, and they drowned one after another in the sea. 14 But the herders of them fled and reported it in the city and in the countryside; and people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 So they came to Jesus, and they beheld the demon-possessed [man] sitting clothed and in his sound mind, this [man] that had had the legion; and they grew fearful. 16 Also, those who had seen it related to them how this had happened to the demon-possessed [man] and about the swine. 17 And so they started to entreat him to go away from their districts.

18 Now as he was boarding the boat, the [man] that had been demon-possessed began entreating him that he might continue with him. 19 However, he did not let him, but said to him: “Go home to your relatives, and report to them all the things Jehovah has done for you and the mercy he had on you.” 20 And he went away and started to proclaim in the Decapolis all the things Jesus did for him, and all the people began to wonder.

21 After Jesus had crossed back again in the boat to the opposite shore a great crowd gathered together to him; and he was beside the sea. 22 Now one of the presiding officers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came and, on catching sight of him, he fell at his feet 23 and entreated him many times, saying: “My little daughter is in an extreme condition. Would you please come and put your hands upon her that she may get well and live.” 24 At that he went off with him. And a great crowd was following him and pressing against him.

25 Now there was a woman subject to a flow of blood twelve years, 26 and she had been put to many pains by many physicians and had spent all her resources and had not been benefited but, rather, had got worse. 27 When she heard the things about Jesus, she came behind in the crowd and touched his outer garment; 28 for she kept saying: “If I touch just his outer garments I shall get well.” 29 And immediately her fountain of blood dried up, and she sensed in her body that she had been healed of the grievous sickness.

30 Immediately, also, Jesus recognized in himself that power had gone out of him, and he turned about in the crowd and began to say: “Who touched my outer garments?” 31 But his disciples began to say to him: “You see the crowd pressing in upon you, and do you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 However, he was looking around to see her that had done this. 33 But the woman, frightened and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her: “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be in good health from your grievous sickness.”

35 While he was yet speaking, some men from the home of the presiding officer of the synagogue came and said: “Your daughter died! Why bother the teacher any longer?” 36 But Jesus, overhearing the word being spoken, said to the presiding officer of the synagogue: “Have no fear, only exercise faith.” 37 Now he did not let anyone follow along with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

38 So they came to the house of the presiding officer of the synagogue, and he beheld the noisy confusion and those weeping and letting out many wails, 39 and, after stepping in, he said to them: “Why are YOU causing noisy confusion and weeping? The young child has not died, but is sleeping.” 40 At this they began to laugh scornfully at him. But, having put them all out, he took along the young child’s father and mother and those with him, and he went in where the young child was. 41 And, taking the hand of the young child, he said to her: “Talitha cumi,” which, translated, means: “Maiden, I say to you, Get up!” 42 And immediately the maiden rose and began walking, for she was twelve years old. And at once they were beside themselves with great ecstasy. 43 But he ordered them again and again to let no one learn of this, and he said that something should be given her to eat.

6 And he departed from there and came into his home territory, and his disciples followed him. 2 When it became sabbath, he started teaching in the synagogue; and the greater number of those listening were astounded and said: “Where did this man get these things? And why should this wisdom have been given this man, and such powerful works be performed through his hands? 3 This is the carpenter the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon, is it not? And his sisters are here with us, are they not?” So they began to stumble at him. 4 But Jesus went on to say to them: “A prophet is not unhonored except in his home territory and among his relatives and in his own house.” 5 So he was able to do no powerful work there except to lay his hands upon a few sickly ones and cure them. 6 Indeed, he wondered at their lack of faith. And he went round about to the villages in a circuit, teaching.

7 Now he summoned the twelve, and he initiated sending them out two by two, and he began to give them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 Also, he gave them orders to carry nothing for the trip except a staff alone, no bread, no food pouch, no copper money in their girdle purses, 9 but to bind on sandals, and not to wear two undergarments. 10 Further, he said to them: “Wherever YOU enter into a home, stay there until YOU go out of that place. 11 And wherever a place will not receive YOU nor hear YOU, on going out from there shake off the dirt that is beneath YOUR feet for a witness to them.” 12 So they set out and preached in order that people might repent; 13 and they would expel many demons and grease many sickly people with oil and cure them.

14 Now it got to the ears of King Herod, for the name of [Jesus] became public, and people were saying: “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead, and on that account the powerful works are operating in him.” 15 But others were saying: “It is Elijah.” Still others were saying: “It is a prophet like one of the prophets.” 16 But when Herod heard it he began to say: “The John that I beheaded, this one has been raised up.” 17 For Herod himself had sent out and arrested John and bound him in prison on account of Herodias the wife of Philip his brother, because he had married her. 18 For John had repeatedly said to Herod: “It is not lawful for you to be having the wife of your brother.” 19 But Herodias was nursing a grudge against him and was wanting to kill him, but could not. 20 For Herod stood in fear of John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man; and he was keeping him safe. And after hearing him he was at a great loss what to do, yet he continued to hear him gladly.

21 But a convenient day came along when Herod spread an evening meal on his birthday for his top-ranking men and the military commanders and the foremost ones of Galilee. 22 And the daughter of this very Herodias came in and danced and pleased Herod and those reclining with him. The king said to the maiden: “Ask me for whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” 23 Yes, he swore to her: “Whatever you ask me for, I will give it to you, up to half my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother: “What should I ask for?” She said: “The head of John the baptizer.” 25 Immediately she went in with haste to the king and made her request, saying: “I want you to give me right away on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 26 Although he became deeply grieved, yet the king did not want to disregard her, in view of the oaths and those reclining at the table. 27 So the king immediately dispatched a body guardsman and commanded him to bring his head. And he went off and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter, and he gave it to the maiden, and the maiden gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it they came and took up his corpse and laid it in a memorial tomb.