Mark Chapter 5
Mark Chapter 5, from the Gospel of Mark, is another excellent passage for learning or improving to read by phonics
Mark Chapter 5
|They reached the other side of the lake, which was in the region where the Gadarenes lived. |Most manuscripts say "Gerasenes," which is an alternative name for these people. They were the descendants of Gad, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. |- |2 |And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, |As Jesus disembarked the boat, he was immediately confronted by a possessed man, | |- |3 |Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: |who was homeless and slept in a cemetery; no man had the strength to restrain him, not even with chains: |avoid feminist style of seeking gender neutrality by replacing "man" with "one"; the reference is obviously to men not being able to restrain him, not to women |- |4 |Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. |Many times, he had been restrained by leg irons and chains, but he had thrown off the chains and broken the leg irons to pieces. No man could control him. |The word originally rendered "fetters" means "leg irons." |- |5 |And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. |Day and night he roamed the mountains and tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. | |- |6 |But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, |But when he glimpsed Jesus at a distance, he ran up to Him and fell down at His feet. | |- |7 |And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. |He cried out loudly, "What business do I have with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you in God's name not to torment me." |The Greek word υψιστος (hypsistos) literally means "highest." |- |8 |For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. |Because Jesus had proclaimed, "Get out of that man, evil spirit." | |- |9 |And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. |Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He answered, "My name is 'Legion', because we are many." | |- |10 |And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. |He begged Jesus not to expel him from the region. |The Greek word χωρα, meaning "country," does not mean a nation-state. If Mark had meant that, he would have used the word βασιλεια, or "kingdom." |- |11 |Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. |Near the mountains where they were, a large herd of pigs was feeding. |Pigs more modern than archaic swine |- |12 |And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. |The demons all begged Jesus, "Send us to the pigs, so that we may possess them." | |- |13 |And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. |Jesus then granted the demons the permission they sought. The demons left the man and possessed the pigs, and the herd rand violently down a steep embankment to drown in the sea, all two thousand of them. | |- |14 |And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. |Those in charge of the pigs fled and told everyone in the town and countryside. People then went to see for themselves what had happened. | |- |15 |And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. |They saw Jesus and the man formerly possessed, who was in his right mind and sitting peacefully, fully dressed; the people became afraid upon seeing him. | |- |16 |And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. |Witnesses to the episode described for the people what had happened to the possessed man, and about the pigs. | |- |17 |And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. |The terrified people began to plead that Jesus leave their area. | |- |18 |And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. |When Jesus got back aboard His boat, the man who had been possessed begged Jesus to let him join His company. | |- |19 |Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. |Instead, Jesus told him, "Return home to your friends, and tell them how the Lord has done wonders for you with compassion." |In contrast to the usual instructions that Jesus gives, He asks the Gadarene to tell everyone he meets what happened to him. This might be because the Gadarene region was opposite Lake Tiberias from Jerusalem. |- |20 |And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. |So the man left and began speaking publicly in Decapolis about Jesus's great works for him, and everyone who heard the story was very much amazed. |The Greek word θαυμαζομαι (thaumadzomai) connotes the "Wow!" degree of amazement. |- |21 |And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. |A huge crowd was awaiting Jesus on the opposite coast as he crossed by boat, so He stayed on the seashore. | |- |22 |And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, |One of the leaders of the synagogue, named Jairus, joined the crowd. When he saw Jesus, he threw himself at His feet, |The usual Greek word ιδου ("Look!" or "Behold!") does not appear in the original. |- |23 |And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. |and begged Him urgently, saying "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put Your hands on her, so that she will be healed; and then she will live." |The Greek idiomatic phrase εσχατως εχω (eschatos echo, "I finally have") is best translated as "I am dying." |- |24 |And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. |Jesus accompanied him; many people followed Jesus, pressing Him on all sides. | |- |25 |And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, |One woman who had suffered from hemorrhages for twelve years, | |- |26 |And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, |and had suffered further from mistreatments by doctors, having spent all she had on them without any improvement; her condition even worsened. |The "mistreatments" referred to here are conventional therapies that did more harm than good. |- |27 |When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. |When she heard about Jesus she crowded behind Him and touched his clothes, | |- |28 |For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. |Because as she had said, "If I can just touch His clothes, I will be made well." | |- |29 |And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. |Instantly the hemorrhages ceased, and she felt cured of her illness. | |- |30 |And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? |Jesus immediately realized that power had discharged from him, and turned to the pressing crowd to say, "Who touched my clothes?" | |- |31 |And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? |His students replied, "You see the huge crowd pressing against you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me'"? |The astonishment of His students is self-evident. |- |32 |And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. |Jesus turned and scanned the crowd to find her. | |- |33 |But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. |But the terrified, trembling woman, aware of the miracle, came and bowed at Jesus's feet, and told him the entire truth. | |- |34 |And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. |Jesus said to her: "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go with peace of mind, and live a life free from that terrible disease." |The actual Greek phrase is "saved you," not "made you well." |- |35 |While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? |While Jesus was speaking, people told the synagogue leader, "Your daughter has died. Why bother this teacher any more?" | |- |36 |As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. |But as soon as Jesus heard about this, he said to the father, "Don't be afraid; only believe." | |- |37 |And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. |Jesus then allowed no one to follow Him, except Peter, James, and James' brother John. | |- |38 |And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. |He came to the synagogue leader's home, and saw the mourning, and all those who wept and cried enormously. | |- |39 |And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. |When Jesus entered the house, he said to them, "What is the reason for all this uproar and crying? The girl is not dead - she's just asleep!" |The mourners were in fact exaggerating, as was the custom of the day. |- |40 |And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. |They laughed and ridiculed him. But after he evicted them all, he took the girl's mother and father with Him and His three students to where she was lying, | |- |41 |And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. |and taking her by the hand, said, "talitha cumi", which means "girl, I tell you to rise." | |- |42 |And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. |Immediately the 12-year-old girl got up and walked. The onlookers were positively astounded. |In Greek (and also in Hebrew), repetition is sometimes done for emphasis, as in this case. |- |43 |And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. |Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then commanded that the girl should be given something to eat.