Mark 1

¹The beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Anointed One.

²As it has been written in Isaiah the prophet: "Look—I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; ³a voice crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"

⁴John appeared—the one baptizing in the wilderness—proclaiming a baptism of turning back for the release of sins. ⁵And the whole Judean countryside was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem, and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. ⁶Now John was clothed in camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷And he was proclaiming, saying: "One stronger than I is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with a holy spirit."

⁹And it happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. ¹⁰And immediately, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending into him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from the heavens: "You are my Son, the Beloved—in you I delight."

¹²And immediately the Spirit drives him out into the wilderness. ¹³And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tested by the Adversary, and he was among the wild animals, and the angels were serving him.

¹⁴And after John was handed over, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God ¹⁵and saying: "The appointed time has been fulfilled and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Turn back and put your trust in the good news."

¹⁶And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. ¹⁷And Jesus said to them: "Come, follow me, and I will make you become fishers of people." ¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, and they were in the boat mending their nets. ²⁰And immediately he called them. And they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers and went off after him.

²¹And they go into Capernaum. And immediately, on the Sabbath, he was teaching in the synagogue. ²²And they were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. ²³And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ²⁴saying: "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!" ²⁵And Jesus rebuked him, saying: "Be silent and come out of him!" ²⁶And the unclean spirit, after convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. ²⁷And all were amazed, so that they kept debating among themselves, saying: "What is this? A new teaching! With authority he even commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him!" ²⁸And the news about him went out immediately everywhere into all the surrounding region of Galilee.

²⁹And immediately, after leaving the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever, and immediately they tell him about her. ³¹And coming to her, he raised her up, taking hold of her hand. And the fever left her, and she began serving them.

³²When evening came, after the sun had set, they were bringing to him all who were ill and those who were possessed by demons. ³³And the whole city had gathered at the door. ³⁴And he healed many who were ill with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

³⁵And very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose and went out and went away to a deserted place, and there he was praying. ³⁶And Simon and those with him hunted him down, ³⁷and they found him and say to him: "Everyone is looking for you." ³⁸And he says to them: "Let us go elsewhere, to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim there also—for this is why I came out." ³⁹And he went throughout all Galilee, proclaiming in their synagogues and casting out demons.

⁴⁰And a leper comes to him, pleading with him and kneeling, saying to him: "If you are willing, you are able to cleanse me." ⁴¹And becoming angry, he stretched out his hand and touched him and says to him: "I am willing—be cleansed!" ⁴²And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. ⁴³And sternly warning him, he immediately drove him out, ⁴⁴and says to him: "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." ⁴⁵But he went out and began to proclaim freely and spread the word, so that Jesus was no longer able to enter a city openly, but stayed outside in deserted places. And they kept coming to him from everywhere.