Mark 1

1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way,

3a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

4John came baptizing in the wilderness, and he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

5The whole region of Judea and all the residents of Jerusalem kept going out to him, and he baptized them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

6John wore clothes of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and he lived on locusts and wild honey.

7His message was this: “Someone stronger than I am is coming after me. I am not fit to bend down and loosen the strap of his sandals.

8I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

9At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan.

10The moment he came up from the water, he saw the heavens splitting open and the Spirit, like a dove, coming down on him.

11Then a voice came out of the heavens: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I delight.”

12Without delay the Spirit thrust him out into the wilderness.

13He stayed in the wilderness forty days while Satan tempted him. He was among the wild animals, and the angels took care of him.

14After John had been handed over, Jesus came to Galilee, where he proclaimed the gospel of God

15and said, “The time is now complete, and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent, and put your faith in the gospel.”

16Walking along beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Simon’s brother Andrew throwing out a net in the sea, since they were fishermen.

17Jesus told them, “Come after me, and I will make you into fishers of people.”

18Right away they abandoned their nets and followed him.

19After going on a short distance, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were also in their boat, getting the nets ready.

20At once he called them, and leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers, they went off after him.

21They came to Capernaum. As soon as the Sabbath arrived, he entered the synagogue and taught.

22The people were astounded by his teaching, because he taught them like someone with authority, not like the scribes.

23Right then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue, and he shouted out,

24“What business do you have with us, Jesus the Nazarene? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God!”

25Jesus rebuked him: “Silence! Come out of him!”

26The unclean spirit threw him into convulsions, let out a loud shriek, and came out of him.

27Everyone was so stunned that they began discussing it with one another: “What is this? A new teaching, backed by authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they do what he says.”

28Word about him quickly went out in every direction, through the entire region surrounding Galilee.

29Right after leaving the synagogue, they came to the house of Simon and Andrew, along with James and John.

30Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever, and without delay they spoke to Jesus about her.

31He came to her, took hold of her hand, and raised her up. The fever went away, and she started serving them.

32When evening came and the sun had gone down, people kept bringing him all who were ill and those possessed by demons.

33The entire town had crowded together at the door.

34He cured many who suffered from all kinds of diseases and threw out many demons, and he did not allow the demons to speak, since they knew him.

35Early in the morning, in the deep dark before dawn, he rose, went out, and went away to a lonely place, and there he prayed.

36Simon and the others with him went hunting for him.

37When they found him, they told him, “Everyone is searching for you.”

38He answered them, “Let us go elsewhere, into the neighboring market towns, so that I may preach there as well; this is the reason I came out.”

39So he went all over Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and expelling demons.

40A leper came to him, pleading with him and kneeling down, and said, “If you want to, you can make me clean.”

41Filled with compassion, he reached out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be made clean.”

42The leprosy went away from him at once, and he was clean.

43Jesus sternly warned him and sent him off right away.

44He told him, “Make sure you do not say anything to anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest, and for your cleansing offer what Moses prescribed, as a witness to them.”

45The man, though, went off and began to proclaim it widely and spread the word around, so that Jesus was no longer able to go into a town openly. He stayed outside in deserted places, and still people came to him from all directions.