Mark 3
1 Jesus went to the synagogue again. A man was there who had a crippled hand.
On another occasion Jesus went in to a synagogue, where there was a man whose hand was withered.
2 Some of those there were watching Jesus to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath, because they were looking for a reason to accuse him of breaking the law.
And they watched Jesus closely, to see if he would cure the man on the Sabbath, so that they might have a charge to bring against him.
3 Jesus told the man with the crippled hand, “Come and stand here in front of everyone.”
‘Stand out in the middle,’ Jesus said to the man with the withered hand;
4 “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil? Should you save life, or should you kill?” he asked them. But they didn't say a word.
and to the people he said, ‘Is it allowable to do good at the Sabbath – or harm? To save a life, or destroy it?’
5 He looked around at them in exasperation, very upset by their hard-hearted attitude. Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it was healed.
As they remained silent, Jesus looked round at them in anger, grieving at the hardness of their hearts, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ The man stretched it out; and his hand had become sound.
6 The Pharisees left, and immediately began plotting with Herod's party as to how they might kill Jesus.
Immediately on leaving the synagogue, the Pharisees and the Herodians united in laying a plot against Jesus, to put him to death.
7 Meanwhile Jesus returned to the Sea, and a large crowd followed him. They were from Galilee, Judea,
Then Jesus went away with his disciples to the sea, followed by a great number of people from Galilee.
8 Jerusalem, Idumea, Transjordan, and from the regions of Tyre and Sidon. So many people came to see him because they'd heard all he was doing.
A great number, hearing of all that he was doing, came to him from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Edom, from beyond the Jordan, and from the country round Tyre and Sidon.
9 Jesus told his disciples to have a small boat ready in case the crowd crushed him,
So Jesus told his disciples to keep a small boat close by, so that the crowd would not crush him.
10 because he had healed so many that all the sick people kept on pressing towards him so they could touch him.
For he had cured many of them, and so people kept crowding around him, so all who were sick might touch him.
11 Whenever the evil spirits saw him they would fall down in front of him and shout out, “You are the Son of God!”
The foul spirits, too, whenever they caught sight of him, flung themselves down before him, and screamed out, ‘You are the Son of God’!
12 But he commanded them not to reveal who he was.
But he repeatedly warned them not to make him known.
13 Then Jesus went away to the hill country. He called those he wanted to be with him, and they came to him.
Jesus made his way up the hill, and called those whom he wished; and they went to him.
14 He chose twelve to be with him, and called them apostles. They were to be with him, and he would send them out to announce the good news,
He appointed twelve – whom he also named “apostles” – so that they might be with him, and that he might send them out as his messengers, to preach,
15 and with the authority to drive out demons.
and with power to drive out demons.
16 These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he called Peter),
So he appointed the Twelve – Peter (which was the name that Jesus gave to Simon),
17 James the son of Zebedee and his brother John (who he called Boanerges, meaning “sons of thunder”),
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John (to whom he gave the name of Boanerges, which means the Thunderers),
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Revolutionary,
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,
19 and Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him).
and Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed him.
20 Jesus went home, but such a large crowd gathered again that he and his disciples didn't even have time to eat.
Jesus went into a house; and again a crowd collected, so that they were not even able to eat their food.
21 When Jesus' family heard about it, they came to take him away, saying, “He's lost his senses!”
When his relatives heard of it, they went to take charge of him, for they said that he was out of his mind.
22 But the religious leaders from Jerusalem said, “He's possessed by Beelzebub! It's by the ruler of demons that he's driving out demons!”
The teachers of the Law, who had come down from Jerusalem, said, ‘He has Beelzebul in him! He drives the demons out by the help of their chief.’
23 But Jesus called them over to him. Using illustrations he asked them, “How can Satan throw out Satan?
So Jesus called them to him, and answered them in parables, ‘How can Satan drive out Satan?
24 A kingdom fighting itself can't continue.
When a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot last;
25 A household that's divided is doomed.
and when a household is divided against itself, it will not be able to last.
26 If Satan is divided and fights against himself, he won't last long—he'll soon come to an end.
So, if Satan is in revolt against himself and is divided, he cannot last – his end has come!
27 Clearly, if someone breaks into the house of a strong man and tries to take his things, he won't get far in his theft unless he ties up the strong man first.”
‘No man who has broken into a strong man’s house can carry off his goods, without first tying him up; and not until then will he plunder his house.
28 “I tell you the truth: all sins and blasphemies can be forgiven,
I tell you that people will be forgiven everything – their sins, and all the slanders that they utter;
30 (Jesus said this because they said, “He has an evil spirit.”)
This was said in reply to the charge that he had a foul spirit in him.
31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. They waited outside and sent him a message, asking him to come out.
His mother and his brothers came, and stood outside, and sent to ask him to come to them.
32 The crowd that was sitting around him told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside asking for you.”
There was a crowd sitting round Jesus, and some of them said to him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.’
33 “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” he responded.
‘Who is my mother? And my brothers?’ was his reply.
34 Looking around at all those sitting there in a circle, he said, “Here is my mother! Here are my brothers!
Then he looked around on the people sitting in a circle round him, and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers!
35 Whoever does what God wants, they are my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’
