3 Jesusaj entered the synagogueak again, and a man was there who had a shriveledal hand. 2 In order to accuseam him, they were watching him closelyan to see whether he would healao him on the Sabbath.ap 3 He told the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand before us.” 4 Then he said to them, “Is it lawfulaq to do goodar on the Sabbath or to do evil,as to save lifeat or to kill?”au But they were silent.av 5 After looking around at them with anger,aw he was grieved at the hardnessax of their hearts and told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.ay 6 Immediately the Phariseesaz went out and started plottingba with the Herodiansbb against him, how they might killbc him.

MINISTERING TO THE MULTITUDE

7 Jesusbd departed with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee,be and a large crowd followed from Judea,bf 8 Jerusalem,bg Idumea, beyond the Jordan,bh and around Tyrebi and Sidon.bj The large crowd came to him because they heard about everything he was doing. 9 Then he told his disciples to have a small boatbk ready for him, so that the crowd wouldn’t crush him. 10 Since he had healedbl many, all who had diseases were pressing toward him to touchbm him. 11 Whenever the uncleanbn spiritsbo saw him, they fell downbp before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!”bq 12 And he would strongly warnbr them not to make him known.bs

THE TWELVE APOSTLES

13 Jesusbt went up the mountainbu and summoned those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles,B,bv to be with him, to send them out to preach,bw 15 and to have authority toC drive out demons. 16 He appointed the Twelve:D,bx To Simon,by he gave the name Peter;bz 17 and to Jamesca the son of Zebedee,cb and to his brother John,cc he gave the name “Boanerges” (that is, “Sons of Thunder”cd); 18 Andrew;ce Philipcf and Bartholomew; Matthewcg and Thomas;ch James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot,ci who also betrayed him.

A HOUSE DIVIDED

20 Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat.A 21 When his familya heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”b

22 The scribesc who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,”d and, “He drives oute demonsf by the rulerg of the demons.”h

23 So he summonedi them and spoke to them in parables:j “How can Satank drive out Satan?l 24 If a kingdomm is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties upn the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemieso they utter. 29 But whoever blasphemesp against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness,q but is guiltyr of an eternal sin”B,s—30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”t

TRUE RELATIONSHIPS

31 Hisu motherv and his brothersw came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him and told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers,x and your sistersC are outside asking for you.”

33 He replied to them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 Looking at those sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!y 35 Whoever does the will of Godz is my brother and sister and mother.”

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

4 Againaa he began to teachab by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. 2 He taught them many things in parables,ac and in his teachingad he said to them, 3 “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow.ae 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path,af and the birds came and devouredag it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly,ah since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.ai 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increasedaj thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.”ak 9 Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”al

WHY JESUS USED PARABLES

10 When he was alone, those around him with the Twelveam asked him about the parables.an 11 He answered them, “The secretao of the kingdom of Godap has been given to you, but to those outside,aq everything comes in parables 12 so that

they may indeed look,

and yet not perceive;

they may indeed listen,

and yet not understand;ar

otherwise, they might turn back

and be forgiven.”A,B,as

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER EXPLAINED

13 Thenat he said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable?au How then will you understand all of the parables? 14 The sower sowsav the word.aw 15 Some are like the word sown on the path.ax When they hear, immediately Satanay comes and takes away the wordaz sown in them.C 16 And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy.ba 17 But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distressbb or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.bc 18 Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the worriesbd of this age,be the deceitfulnessD,bf of wealth,bg and the desiresbh for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.bi 20 And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word,bj welcome it, and produce fruitbk thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”

USING YOUR LIGHT

21 Hebl also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed?bm Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand?bn 22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed,bo and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.”bp 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measurea you use,b it will be measured to you—and more will be addedc to you. 25 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”d

THE PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED

26 “The kingdom of Gode is like this,” he said. “A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 He sleepsf and risesg nighth and day; the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how. 28 The soil produces a cropi by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the full grainj on the head. 29 As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle,k because the harvestl has come.”

THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED

30 Andm he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God,n or what parableo can we use to describe it? 31 It’s like a mustard seedp that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. 32 And when sown,q it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants,r and produces large branches, so that the birds of the skys can nest in its shade.”

USING PARABLES

33 He was speaking the wordt to them with many parablesu like these, as they were able to understand.v 34 He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, he explained everything to his own disciples.w

WIND AND WAVES OBEY JESUS

35 Onx that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37 A great windstormy arose, and the wavesz were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 He was in the stern, sleepingaa on the cushion. So they woke him upab and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”ac

39 He got up, rebukedad the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence!ae Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid?af Do you still have no faith?”

41 And they were terrifiedA,ag and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obeyah him!”ai

DEMONS DRIVEN OUT BY JESUS

5 Theyaj came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes.B 2 As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an uncleanak spirital came out of the tombsam and met him. 3 He lived in the tombs,an and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chainao—4 because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashedap the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdueaq him. 5 Nightar and day among the tombsas and on the mountains,at he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Sonau of the Most High God?av I beg you before God, don’t tormentaw me!” 8 For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you uncleanax spirit!”ay

9 “What is your name?” he asked him.

“My name is Legion,”az he answered him, “because we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region.

11 A large herd of pigsba was there, feedingbb on the hillside. 12 The demonsC begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission, and the uncleanbc spiritsbd came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.

14 The men who tended themD ran offbe and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed,bfbg sitting there, dressed and in his right mind;bh and they were afraid.bi 16 Those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessedbj man and told about the pigs. 17 Then they began to beg him to leave their region.

18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him earnestly that he might remain with him. 19 Jesus did not let him but told him, “Go home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lorda has doneb for you and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So he went out and began to proclaimc in the Decapolisd how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.e

A GIRL RESTORED AND A WOMAN HEALED

21 Whenf Jesus had crossed over again by boatA to the other side, a large crowdg gathered around him while he was by the sea. 22 One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus,h came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feeti 23 and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands onj her so that she can get wellB,k and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against him.

25 Now a woman suffering from bleedingl for twelve years 26 had enduredm much under many doctors.n She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touchedo his clothing.p 28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.”q 29 Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healedr of her affliction.

30 Immediately Jesus realized that powers had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowdt and said, “Who touched my clothes?”u

31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But he was looking around to see who had done this. 33 The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell downv before him, and told him the whole truth.w 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faithx has saved you.y Go in peace and be healedz from your affliction.”aa

35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacherab anymore?”

36 When Jesus overheardC what was said, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid.ac Only believe.” 37 He did not let anyone accompany him except Peter,ad James,ae and John,af James’s brother. 38 They came to the leader’s house, and he saw a commotion—people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping?ag The childah is not dead but asleep.”ai 40 They laughed at him, but he put them all outside. He took the child’s father,aj mother, and those who were with him, and entered the place where the child was. 41 Then he took the childak by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum”D (which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up”al). 42 Immediately the girl got upam and began to walk.an (She was twelve years old.) At this they were utterly astounded.ao 43 Then he gave them strict orders that no one should know about thisap and told them to give her something to eat.