Mark 1

¹[This is the] beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, [the] Son of God.

²As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.”

³“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,‘ Prepare the way for [the] Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

⁴John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching [a] baptism of repentance for [the] forgiveness of sins.

⁵[People] went out to him from all of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

⁶John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

⁷And he proclaimed: “After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down [and] untie.

⁸I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with [the] Holy Spirit.”

⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

¹⁰As soon [as Jesus] came up out of the water, He saw the heavens breaking open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove.

¹¹And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

¹²At once the Spirit drove [Jesus] into the wilderness,

¹³and He was [there] for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels ministered to Him.

¹⁴After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee [and] proclaimed the gospel of God.

¹⁵“The time is fulfilled, He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!

¹⁶As [Jesus] was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and [his] brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

¹⁷“Come, follow Me, Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.

¹⁸And at once they left [their] nets [and] followed Him.

¹⁹Going on a little [farther], He saw James [son] of Zebedee and his brother John. They [were] in a boat, mending [their] nets.

²⁰Immediately [Jesus] called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men [and] followed Him.

²¹Then [Jesus and His companions] went to Capernaum, and right away [Jesus] entered the synagogue on the Sabbath [and] began to teach.

²²[The people] were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

²³Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue:

²⁴“What do You [ want ] with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are — the Holy [One] of God!”

²⁵But Jesus rebuked [the spirit]. “Be silent! He said. “Come out of him!

²⁶At this, the unclean spirit threw [the man] into convulsions [and] came out with a loud shriek.

²⁷All [the people] were amazed [and] began to ask one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!”

²⁸And the news about [Jesus] spread quickly through the whole region of Galilee.

²⁹As soon as [Jesus and His companions] had left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.

³⁰Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and they promptly told [Jesus] about her.

³¹So He went to [her], took her [by the] hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them.

³²That evening, after sunset, [people] brought to [Jesus] all the sick and demon-possessed,

³³and the whole town gathered at the door.

³⁴And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

³⁵Early in the morning, while it was still dark, [Jesus] got up [and] went out to a solitary place to pray.

³⁶Simon and his companions went to look for Him,

³⁷and when they found Him, they said, “Everyone is looking for You!”

³⁸But [Jesus] answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns so I can preach there as well, for that is why I have come.

³⁹[So] He went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

⁴⁰Then a leper came to [Jesus], begging on his knees: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

⁴¹Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand [and] touched [the man]. “I am willing, He said. “Be clean!

⁴²And immediately the leprosy left him, and [the man] was cleansed.

⁴³[Jesus] promptly sent him away with a stern warning:

⁴⁴“See that you don’t tell [anyone]. But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

⁴⁵But the [man] went out [and] openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet [people] came to Him from every quarter.