1And afterward, He went throughout every town and village, preaching and proclaiming the glad tidings of the kingdom of God; and the twelve were with Him, 2And certain women, who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, out of whom seven demons were driven; 3And Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod's steward; and Susanna; and many others, ministered to Him of their own means. 4And when a large crowd from many towns had gathered to hear Him, He told them this parable (story): 5“A farmer went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path; and it was trodden down, and the birds of the air ate it. 6And some fell upon rocky places; and as soon as it had sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked soil and moisture. 7And other seed fell among thorns; which grew up with it, and choked out the tender plants. 8And other seeds fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bore fruit a hundredfold (a hundred times as much as the farmer had sewn).” And when He had said these things, He proclaimed, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 9And His disciples asked Him what this parable meant. 10And He said, “You have been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11Now the meaning of the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are they that hear; but then the devil comes, and takes the word out of their hearts, to prevent them from believing and being saved. 13 Those on the rocky places are they, who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root to sustain them; they believe for a while, but in time of testing they fall away. 14And that which fell among thorns are they, who, when they have heard, go their way, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15But the good ground are they who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, retain it, and by patience and perseverance, produce abundant fruit.” 16“No one lights a lamp, and then covers it with a clay jar, or puts it under a bed; but instead sets it up on a lampstand, that those in that room may benefit from the light. 17For there is nothing hidden, that shall not be made visible; nor is anything concealed, that shall not be known or brought to light. 18Take heed, therefore, how you listen; for whoever has, more shall be given; and whoever has not, even that which he seems to have shall be taken from him.” 19Then His mother and His brothers came, but could not get near Him because of the crowd. 20And it was told Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” 21And He answered them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God, and obey it.” 22Then one day, Jesus got into a boat with His disciples; and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” And so they set out. 23And as they sailed, He fell asleep; and then a fierce wind came down on the lake; and their boat began filling with water, and was in danger of sinking. 24And they came and awakened Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are about to drown.” Then He got up, and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; and they ceased raging and became calm. 25And then He asked them, “Where is your faith?” And they, being awestruck, began saying one to another, “What sort of man is This? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” 26And they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27And when Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a certain man in the town, who had been possessed by demons for a long time, who wore no clothes, nor lived in a house, but among the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell at His feet, and shouted aloud, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of God, Most High? I beg You, do not torment me.” 29(For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For often it had seized him; and though he had been bound hand and foot with chains; he had broken those fetters, and was driven into the wilderness by the demon.) 30And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered into him. 31And they begged Him that He would not order them to go into the bottomless pit. 32And there was a large herd of swine feeding on the mountainside; and they begged Him to let them enter into those pigs. And He allowed them. 33Then the demons left the man, and entered the swine; and the entire herd plunged violently down a steep slope into the lake, and were drowned. 34When those that tended the pigs saw what happened, they fled into the town and told the whole countryside what happened. 35Then the townspeople came out to see what had occurred; and came to Jesus, and found the man that had been freed of the demons, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind; and they were ill at ease. 36Those who had also witnessed it told them how the man possessed of the demons had been healed. 37Then all the people of the country around the Gerasenes (Gadarenes) asked Jesus to leave them; for they were overtaken with dread. And so Jesus got into the boat, about to leave. 38Then the man that the demons had been driven out of begged Jesus to let him go with Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39“Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way, and proclaimed throughout all the town what great things Jesus had done for him. 40And when Jesus had returned, a crowd of people gladly welcomed Him; for they were all awaiting Him. 41And a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue; came and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and pleaded with Him to come to his house. 42Because he had only one daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He was going with him, the people crowded around Him. 43And a woman, who had had bleeding disorder for about twelve years, and had spent all her money on doctors, none of which had healed her, 44Came up behind Him, and touched the border of His cloak; and immediately her issue of blood stanched (the bleeding was stopped) . 45And Jesus asked, “Who touched Me?” When no one responded, Peter and those that were with Him said, “Master, this huge crowd is pressing against You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 46And Jesus said, “Somebody has touched Me; for I perceive that healing power has gone out from Me.” 47And when the woman saw that she had not gone unnoticed, she came trembling, and fell before Him, and declared to Him before all the people why she had touched Him, and that she was instantly healed. 48And Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” 49While He yet spoke, someone from the ruler of the synagogue's house came, and told him, “Your daughter is dead; do not bother the Master anymore.” 50But when Jesus heard it, He said to him (Jairus), “Do not fear; but just believe, and she shall be made well.” 51And when He entered the house, He allowed no one to come in, except Peter, James, John, and the father and mother of the young girl. 52And all those inside were weeping and wailing. But He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but only sleeps.” 53And they laughed Him to scorn, knowing full well that she was dead. 54And He put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 55And her spirit returned, and at once, she stood up. Then; Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56And her parents were astonished; but He told them that they should tell no one what had happened. Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |