Mark, 5

1. They arrived on the other side of the lake in the region of the Gerasenes.

2. No sooner did Jesus leave the boat than he was met by a man with evil spirits who had come from the tombs.

3. He lived among the tombs and no one could restrain him, even with a chain.

4. He had often been bound with fetters and chains but he would pull the chains apart and smash the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him.

5. Night and day he stayed among the tombs on the hillsides, and was continually screaming and beating himself with stones.

6. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell at his feet

7. and cried with a loud voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? For God's sake I beg you, do not torment me."

8. He said this because Jesus had commanded, "Come out of the man, evil spirit."

9. And when Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" he replied, "Legion is my name, for we are many."

10. And all of them kept begging Jesus not to send them out of that region.

11. Now, a great herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside,

12. and the evil spirits begged him, "Send us to the pigs and let us go into them."

13. So Jesus let them go. The evil spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs, and immediately the herd rushed down the cliff and all were drowned in the lake.

14. The herdsmen fled and reported this in the town and in the countryside, so all the people came to see what had happened.

15. They came to Jesus and saw the man freed of the evil spirits sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the same man who had been possessed by the legion. They were afraid.

16. And when those who had seen it told what had happened to the man and to the pigs,

17. the people begged Jesus to leave their neighborhood.

18. When Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to stay with him.

19. Jesus would not let him and said, "Go home to your people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you."

20. So he went throughout the country of Decapolis telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were astonished.

21. Jesus then crossed to the other side of the lake and while he was still on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him.

22. Jairus, an official of the synagogue, came up and seeing Jesus, threw himself at his feet

23. and asked him earnestly, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live."

24. Jesus went with him and many people followed, pressing from every side.

25. Among the crowd was a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years.

26. She had suffered a lot at the hands of many doctors and had spent everything she had, but instead of getting better, she was worse.

27. Since she had heard about Jesus, this woman came up behind him and touched his cloak

28. thinking, "If I just touch his clothing, I shall get well."

29. Her flow of blood dried up at once, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her complaint.

30. But Jesus was conscious that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

31. His disciples answered, "You see how the people are crowding around you. Why do you ask who touched you?"

32. But he kept looking around to see who had done it.

33. Then the woman, aware of what had happened, came forward trembling and afraid. She knelt before him and told him the whole truth.

34. Then Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be free of this illness."

35. While Jesus was still speaking, some people arrived from the official's house to inform him, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Master any further?"

36. But Jesus ignored what they said and told the official, "Do not fear, just believe."

37. And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James and John, the brother of James.

38. When they arrived at the house, Jesus saw a great commotion with people weeping and wailing loudly.

39. Jesus entered and said to them, "Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep."

40. They laughed at him. But Jesus sent them outside and went with the child's father and mother and his companions into the room where the child lay.

41. Taking her by the hand, he said to her, "Talitha kumi!" which means: "Little girl, get up!"

42. The girl got up at once and began to walk around. (She was twelve years old.) The parents were astonished, greatly astonished.

43. Jesus strictly ordered them not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.