Mark 5

1They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes.

2As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs to meet him.

3He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.

4For he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him.

5Night and day, among the tombs and in the hills, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees before him.

7He shouted with a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you by God, do not torment me!”

8For Jesus had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

9Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”

10And he begged Jesus earnestly not to send them out of the region.

11Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside.

12The spirits begged him, “Send us into the pigs, so that we may go into them.”

13He gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd, about two thousand of them, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.

14Those who tended the pigs ran off and reported it in the town and in the countryside, and people came to see what had happened.

15They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been possessed by demons—the one who had had the legion—sitting there, dressed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

16Those who had seen it told them what had happened to the demon-possessed man, and about the pigs.

17Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their region.

18As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him to let him go with him.

19But Jesus did not let him. Instead he said to him, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

20So he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed.

21When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed beside the sea.

22One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet

23and pleaded with him earnestly, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and lay your hands on her, so that she will be made well and live.”

24So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed him and pressed in around him.

25A woman was there who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years.

26She had endured much under many doctors and had spent all she had. Instead of getting better, she only grew worse.

27She had heard about Jesus, and she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,

28for she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.”

29Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”

31His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in around you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

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

33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.

34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

35While he was still speaking, some people came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter has died. Why trouble the Teacher any longer?”

36But Jesus overheard what they said and told the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

37He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.

38They came to the house of the synagogue leader, and Jesus saw a commotion, with people weeping and wailing loudly.

39He went in and said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.”

40They laughed at him. But he put them all outside, took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.

41Taking the child by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.”

42Immediately the girl got up and began to walk around; she was twelve years old. At once they were overcome with great amazement.

43He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and he told them to give her something to eat.