ARKCODEX
Mark
Ch. 5–6
Jesus Heals a Man with Evil Spirits
1Jesus and his disciples arrived on the other side of Lake Galilee, in the territory of Gerasa.
2As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, he was met by a man who came out of the burial caves there. This man had an evil spirit in him
3and lived among the tombs. Nobody could keep him tied with chains any more;
4many times his feet and his hands had been tied, but every time he broke the chains and smashed the irons on his feet. He was too strong for anyone to control him.
5Day and night he wandered among the tombs and through the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones.
6He was some distance away when he saw Jesus; so he ran, fell on his knees before him,
7and screamed in a loud voice, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? For God's sake, I beg you, don't punish me!”
8(He said this because Jesus was saying, “Evil spirit, come out of this man!”)
9So Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” The man answered, “My name is ‘Mob’—there are so many of us!”
10And he kept begging Jesus not to send the evil spirits out of that region.
11There was a large herd of pigs near by, feeding on a hillside.
12So the spirits begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them.”
13He let them go, and the evil spirits went out of the man and entered the pigs. The whole herd—about two thousand pigs in all—rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.
14The men who had been taking care of the pigs ran away and spread the news in the town and among the farms. People went out to see what had happened,
15and when they came to Jesus, they saw the man who used to have the mob of demons in him. He was sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were all afraid.
16Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the man with the demons, and about the pigs.
17So they asked Jesus to leave their territory.
18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had had the demons begged him, “Let me go with you!”
19But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he told him, “Go back home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how kind he has been to you.”
20So the man left and went all through the Ten Towns, telling what Jesus had done for him. And all who heard it were amazed.
Jairus' Daughter and the Woman Who Touched Jesus' Cloak
21Jesus went back across to the other side of the lake. There at the lakeside a large crowd gathered around him.
22Jairus, an official of the local synagogue, arrived, and when he saw Jesus, he threw himself down at his feet
23and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is very sick. Please come and place your hands on her, so that she will get well and live!”
24Then Jesus started off with him. So many people were going along with Jesus that they were crowding him from every side.
25There was a woman who had suffered terribly from severe bleeding for twelve years,
26even though she had been treated by many doctors. She had spent all her money, but instead of getting better she got worse all the time.
27She had heard about Jesus, so she came in the crowd behind him,
28saying to herself, “If I just touch his clothes, I will get well.”
29She touched his cloak, and her bleeding stopped at once; and she had the feeling inside herself that she was healed of her trouble.
30At once Jesus knew that power had gone out of him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31His disciples answered, “You see how the people are crowding you; why do you ask who touched you?”
32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
33The woman realized what had happened to her, so she came, trembling with fear, knelt at his feet, and told him the whole truth.
34Jesus said to her, “My daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your trouble.”
35While Jesus was saying this, some messengers came from Jairus' house and told him, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the Teacher any longer?”
36Jesus paid no attention to what they said, but told him, “Don't be afraid, only believe.”
37Then he did not let anyone else go on with him except Peter and James and his brother John.
38They arrived at Jairus' house, where Jesus saw the confusion and heard all the loud crying and wailing.
39He went in and said to them, “Why all this confusion? Why are you crying? The child is not dead—she is only sleeping!”
40They started making fun of him, so he put them all out, took the child's father and mother and his three disciples, and went into the room where the child was lying.
41He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha, koum,” which means, “Little girl, I tell you to get up!”
42She got up at once and started walking around. (She was twelve years old.) When this happened, they were completely amazed.
43But Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone, and he said, “Give her something to eat.”
Mark 6
Jesus Is Rejected at Nazareth
1Jesus left that place and went back to his hometown, followed by his disciples.
2On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue. Many people were there; and when they heard him, they were all amazed. “Where did he get all this?” they asked. “What wisdom is this that has been given him? How does he perform miracles?
3Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren't his sisters living here?” And so they rejected him.
4Jesus said to them, “Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own hometown and by their relatives and their family.”
5He was not able to perform any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples
6He was greatly surprised, because the people did not have faith. Then Jesus went to the villages around there, teaching the people.
7He called the twelve disciples together and sent them out two by two. He gave them authority over the evil spirits
8and ordered them, “Don't take anything with you on the trip except a walking stick—no bread, no beggar's bag, no money in your pockets.
9Wear sandals, but don't carry an extra shirt.”
10He also told them, “Wherever you are welcomed, stay in the same house until you leave that place.
11If you come to a town where people do not welcome you or will not listen to you, leave it and shake the dust off your feet. That will be a warning to them!”
12So they went out and preached that people should turn away from their sins.
13They drove out many demons, and rubbed olive oil on many sick people and healed them.
The Death of John the Baptist
14Now King Herod heard about all this, because Jesus' reputation had spread everywhere. Some people were saying, “John the Baptist has come back to life! That is why he has this power to perform miracles.”
15Others, however, said, “He is Elijah.” Others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”
16When Herod heard it, he said, “He is John the Baptist! I had his head cut off, but he has come back to life!”
17Herod himself had ordered John's arrest, and he had him tied up and put in prison. Herod did this because of Herodias, whom he had married, even though she was the wife of his brother Philip.
18John the Baptist kept telling Herod, “It isn't right for you to marry your brother's wife!”
19So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but she could not because of Herod.
20Herod was afraid of John because he knew that John was a good and holy man, and so he kept him safe. He liked to listen to him, even though he became greatly disturbed every time he heard him.
21Finally Herodias got her chance. It was on Herod's birthday, when he gave a feast for all the top government officials, the military chiefs, and the leading citizens of Galilee.
22The daughter of Herodias came in and danced, and pleased Herod and his guests. So the king said to the girl, “What would you like to have? I will give you anything you want.”
23With many vows he said to her, “I swear that I will give you anything you ask for, even as much as half my kingdom!”
24So the girl went out and asked her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.
25The girl hurried back at once to the king and demanded, “I want you to give me here and now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!”
26This made the king very sad, but he could not refuse her because of the vows he had made in front of all his guests.
27So he sent off a guard at once with orders to bring John's head. The guard left, went to the prison, and cut John's head off;
28then he brought it on a plate and gave it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.
29When John's disciples heard about this, they came and got his body, and buried it.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
30The apostles returned and met with Jesus, and told him all they had done and taught.
31There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his disciples didn't even have time to eat. So he said to them, “Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest a while.”
32So they started out in a boat by themselves to a lonely place.
33Many people, however, saw them leave and knew at once who they were; so they went from all the towns and ran ahead by land and arrived at the place ahead of Jesus and his disciples.
34When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this large crowd, and his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.
35When it was getting late, his disciples came to him and said, “It is already very late, and this is a lonely place.
36Send the people away, and let them go to the nearby farms and villages in order to buy themselves something to eat.”
37“You yourselves give them something to eat,” Jesus answered. They asked, “Do you want us to go and spend two hundred silver coins on bread in order to feed them?”
38So Jesus asked them, “How much bread do you have? Go and see.” When they found out, they told him, “Five loaves and also two fish.”
39Jesus then told his disciples to make all the people divide into groups and sit down on the green grass.
40So the people sat down in rows, in groups of a hundred and groups of fifty.
41Then Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.
42Everyone ate and had enough.
43Then the disciples took up twelve baskets full of what was left of the bread and the fish.
44The number of men who were fed was five thousand.
Jesus Walks on the Water
45At once Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to Bethsaida, on the other side of the lake, while he sent the crowd away.
46After saying good-bye to the people, he went away to a hill to pray.
47When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, while Jesus was alone on land.
48He saw that his disciples were straining at the oars, because they were rowing against the wind; so sometime between three and six o'clock in the morning, he came to them, walking on the water. He was going to pass them by,
49but they saw him walking on the water. “It's a ghost!” they thought, and screamed.
50They were all terrified when they saw him. Jesus spoke to them at once, “Courage!” he said. “It is I. Don't be afraid!”
51Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. The disciples were completely amazed,
52because they had not understood the real meaning of the feeding of the five thousand; their minds could not grasp it.
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
53They crossed the lake and came to land at Gennesaret, where they tied up the boat.
54As they left the boat, people recognized Jesus at once.
55So they ran throughout the whole region; and wherever they heard he was, they brought to him the sick lying on their mats.
56And everywhere Jesus went, to villages, towns, or farms, people would take their sick to the marketplaces and beg him to let the sick at least touch the edge of his cloak. And all who touched it were made well.
Psalms
Ch. 21
Praise for Victory
1The king is glad, O Lord, because you gave him strength; he rejoices because you made him victorious.
2You have given him his heart's desire; you have answered his request.
3You came to him with great blessings and set a crown of gold on his head.
4He asked for life, and you gave it, a long and lasting life.
5His glory is great because of your help; you have given him fame and majesty.
6Your blessings are with him forever, and your presence fills him with joy.
7The king trusts in the Lord Almighty; and because of the Lord's constant love he will always be secure.
8The king will capture all his enemies; he will capture everyone who hates him.
9He will destroy them like a blazing fire when he appears. The Lord will devour them in his anger, and fire will consume them.
10None of their descendants will survive; the king will kill them all.
11They make their plans, and plot against him, but they will not succeed.
12He will shoot his arrows at them and make them turn and run.
13We praise you, Lord, for your great strength! We will sing and praise your power.