Mark 1
1
John the Baptizer
1-3The good news of Jesus Christ—the Message!—begins here, following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
Watch closely: I’m sending my preacher ahead of you;
He’ll make the road smooth for you.
Thunder in the desert!
Prepare for God’s arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!
4-6John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey.
7-8As he preached he said, “The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life. I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out.”
9-11At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”
God’s Kingdom Is Here
12-13At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels took care of him.
14-15After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the Message of God: “Time’s up! God’s kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.”
16-18Passing along the beach of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew net-fishing. Fishing was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions. They dropped their nets and followed.
19-20A dozen yards or so down the beach, he saw the brothers James and John, Zebedee’s sons. They were in the boat, mending their fishnets. Right off, he made the same offer. Immediately, they left their father Zebedee, the boat, and the hired hands, and followed.
Confident Teaching
21-22Then they entered Capernaum. When the Sabbath arrived, Jesus lost no time in getting to the meeting place. He spent the day there teaching. They were surprised at his teaching—so forthright, so confident—not quibbling and quoting like the religion scholars.
23-24Suddenly, while still in the meeting place, he was interrupted by a man who was deeply disturbed and yelling out, “What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you’re up to! You’re the Holy One of God, and you’ve come to destroy us!”
25-26Jesus shut him up: “Quiet! Get out of him!” The afflicting spirit threw the man into spasms, protesting loudly—and got out.
27-28Everyone there was spellbound, buzzing with curiosity. “What’s going on here? A new teaching that does what it says? He shuts up defiling, demonic spirits and tells them to get lost!” News of this traveled fast and was soon all over Galilee.
29-31Directly on leaving the meeting place, they came to Simon and Andrew’s house, accompanied by James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed, burning up with fever. They told Jesus. He went to her, took her hand, and raised her up. No sooner had the fever left than she was up fixing dinner for them.
32-34That evening, after the sun was down, they brought sick and evil-afflicted people to him, the whole city lined up at his door! He cured their sick bodies and tormented spirits. Because the demons knew his true identity, he didn’t let them say a word.
The Leper
35-37While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed. Simon and those with him went looking for him. They found him and said, “Everybody’s looking for you.”
38-39Jesus said, “Let’s go to the rest of the villages so I can preach there also. This is why I’ve come.” He went to their meeting places all through Galilee, preaching and throwing out the demons.
40A leper came to him, begging on his knees, “If you want to, you can cleanse me.”
41-45Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: “Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people.” But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over.
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Mark 1: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Mark 1
1
1Beginning of the glad tidings of Jesus Christ, Son of God; 2as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way. 3Voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4There came John baptising in the wilderness, and preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins. 5And there went out to him all the district of Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem, and were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6And John was clothed in camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and ate locusts and wild honey. 7And he preached, saying, There comes he that is mightier than I after me, the thong of whose sandals I am not fit to stoop down and unloose. 8I indeed have baptised you with water, but he shall baptise you with the Holy Spirit.
9And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptised by John at the Jordan. 10And straightway going up from the water, he saw the heavens parting asunder, and the Spirit, as a dove, descending upon him. 11And there came a voice out of the heavens: Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight. 12And immediately the Spirit drives him out into the wilderness. 13And he was in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.
14But after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, 15and saying, The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has drawn nigh; repent and believe in the glad tidings. 16And walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon, and Andrew, Simon's brother, casting out a net in the sea, for they were fishers. 17And Jesus said to them, Come after me, and I will make you become fishers of men; 18and straightway leaving their trawl-nets they followed him. 19And going on thence a little, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, and these were in the ship repairing the trawl-nets; 20and straightway he called them; and leaving their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, they went away after him. 21And they go into Capernaum. And straightway on the sabbath he entered into the synagogue and taught. 22And they were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes.
23And there was in their synagogue a man possessed by an unclean spirit, and he cried out 24saying, Eh! what have we to do with thee, Jesus, Nazarene? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God. 25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace and come out of him. 26And the unclean spirit, having torn him, and uttered a cry with a loud voice, came out of him. 27And all were amazed, so that they questioned together among themselves, saying, What is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him. 28And his fame went out straightway into the whole region of Galilee around.
29And straightway going out of the synagogue, they came with James and John into the house of Simon and Andrew. 30And the mother-in-law of Simon lay in a fever. And straightway they speak to him about her. 31And he went up to her and raised her up, having taken her by the hand, and straightway the fever left her, and she served them. 32But evening being come, when the sun had gone down, they brought to him all that were suffering, and those possessed by demons; 33and the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34And he healed many suffering from various diseases; and he cast out many demons, and did not suffer the demons to speak because they knew him. 35And rising in the morning long before day, he went out and went away into a desert place, and there prayed. 36And Simon and those with him went after him: 37and having found him, they say to him, All seek thee. 38And he says to them, Let us go elsewhere into the neighbouring country towns, that I may preach there also, for for this purpose am I come forth. 39And he was preaching in their synagogues in the whole of Galilee, and casting out demons.
40And there comes to him a leper, beseeching him, and falling on his knees to him, and saying to him, If thou wilt thou canst cleanse me. 41But Jesus, moved with compassion, having stretched out his hand, touched him, and says to him, I will, be thou cleansed. 42And as he spoke straightway the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43And having sharply charged him, he straightway sent him away, 44and says to him, See thou say nothing to any one, but go, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing what Moses ordained, for a testimony to them. 45But he, having gone forth, began to proclaim it much, and to spread the matter abroad, so that he could no longer enter openly into the city, but was without in desert places, and they came to him from every side.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.