Mark 1

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

2As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

3The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

4John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

5And there went out unto him all the land of Judæa, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

6And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

7And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

8I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

9And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

10And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

11And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

12And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

13And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

14Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

16Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

17And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

18And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

19And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

20And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

21And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

22And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

23And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

24Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

26And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

27And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

28And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

29And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

30But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

31And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

32And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

33And all the city was gathered together at the door.

34And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

35And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

36And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

37And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

38And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

39And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

40And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

41And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

42And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

43And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

44And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

45But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

The Mission of John the Baptist

1This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.footnote a 2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:footnote b“Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You,who will prepare Your way.”footnote c 3“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord,make straight paths for Him.’”footnote d

4John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5People went out to him from all of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

6John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 7And he proclaimed: “After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8I baptize you with water,footnote e but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.footnote f”

9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, He sawfootnote g the heavens breaking open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. 11And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

The Temptation and Preaching of Jesus

12At once the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, 13and He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels ministered to Him.

14After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God.footnote h 15“The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!”

The First Disciples

16As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18And at once they left their nets and followed Him.

19Going on a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat, mending their nets. 20Immediately Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.

Jesus Expels an Unclean Spirit

21Then Jesus and His companions went to Capernaum, and right away Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. 22The people were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

23Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue: 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!”

25But Jesus rebuked the spirit. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!” 26At this, the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek.

27All the people were amazed and began to ask one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!” 28And the news about Jesus spread quickly through the whole region of Galilee.

Jesus Heals at Peter’s House

29As soon as Jesus and His companions had left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and they promptly told Jesus about her. 31So He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them.

32That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed, 33and the whole town gathered at the door. 34And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

Jesus Prays and Preaches

35Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went out to a solitary place to pray. 36Simon and his companions went to look for Him, 37and when they found Him, they said, “Everyone is looking for You!”

38But Jesus answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns so I can preach there as well, for that is why I have come.” 39So He went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

The Leper’s Prayer

40Then a leperfootnote i came to Jesus, begging on his knees: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

41Moved with compassion,footnote j Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” 42And immediately the leprosy left him, and the man was cleansed.

43Jesus promptly sent him away with a stern warning: 44“See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”footnote k

45But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news.
Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.