Gospel according to Mark 1

¹ The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

² It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare your way.

³ A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.[*a]

⁴ and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

⁵ All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins.

⁶ John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey.

⁷ In the course of his preaching he said, ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals.

⁸ I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’

⁹ It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised in the Jordan by John.

¹⁰ No sooner had he come up out of the water than he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him.

¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.

¹² Immediately afterwards the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness

¹³ and he remained there for forty days, and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him.

¹⁴ After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God.

¹⁵ ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’

¹⁶ As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen.

¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men’.

¹⁸ And at once they left their nets and followed him.

¹⁹ Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once

²⁰ and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.

²¹ They went as far as Capernaum, and as soon as the sabbath came he went to the synagogue and began to teach.

²² And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority

²³ In their synagogue just then there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit and it shouted,

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.’

²⁵ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’

²⁶ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him.

²⁷ The people were so astonished that they started asking each other what it all meant. ‘Here is a teaching that is new’ they said ‘and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.’

²⁸ And his reputation rapidly spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.

²⁹ On leaving the synagogue, he went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew.

³⁰ Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her straightaway.

³¹ He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to wait on them.

³² That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils.

³³ The whole town came crowding round the door,

³⁴ and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.[*b]

³⁵ In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.

³⁶ Simon and his companions set out in search of him,

³⁷ and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you’.

³⁸ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came’.

³⁹ And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.

⁴⁰ A leper came to him and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me’.

⁴¹ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’

⁴² And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured.

⁴³ Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him,

⁴⁴ ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery’.

⁴⁵ The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.