MarkChapter 1

Tap any verse to comment or suggest a better wording.

¹This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ²It is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet: "Look, I will send my messenger ahead of you. He will prepare your way." ³"A voice of someone is calling out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him.'" ⁴John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness. He preached that people should be baptized to show they repent, so that their sins would be forgiven. ⁵People went out to him from all over Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. They confessed their sins, and John baptized them in the Jordan River. ⁶John wore clothes made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷He announced, "After me, someone will come who is more powerful than I am. I am not even good enough to bend down and untie the straps of his sandals. ⁸I baptize you with water. But he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." ⁹At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee. John baptized him in the Jordan. ¹⁰As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens tearing open. He saw the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven. "You are my Son, and I love you. I am very pleased with you." ¹²Right away the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness. ¹³He was there for forty days, and Satan tempted him. He was with the wild animals, and the angels took care of him. ¹⁴After John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. He announced the good news of God. ¹⁵"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" ¹⁶Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. He saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the sea. They were fishermen. ¹⁷"Come, follow me," Jesus said. "I will make you fishers of people." ¹⁸Right away they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹Jesus went on a little farther. He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat, fixing their nets. ²⁰Jesus called them right away. They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and they followed Jesus. ²¹Then Jesus and his friends went to Capernaum. On the Sabbath, Jesus went right into the synagogue and began to teach. ²²The people were amazed at his teaching. He taught like someone who had authority. He did not teach like the scribes. ²³Suddenly a man in the synagogue who had an unclean spirit cried out. ²⁴"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God!" ²⁵But Jesus spoke sharply to the spirit. "Be quiet!" he said. "Come out of him!" ²⁶Then the unclean spirit shook the man hard. It let out a loud scream and came out of him. ²⁷All the people were amazed. They began to ask each other, "What is this? It's a new teaching, and it has authority! He even gives orders to unclean spirits, and they obey him!" ²⁸The news about Jesus spread quickly through the whole area of Galilee. ²⁹As soon as Jesus and his friends left the synagogue, they went to the home of Simon and Andrew. James and John went with them. ³⁰Simon's mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever. Right away they told Jesus about her. ³¹So he went to her. He 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 who were sick and all who had demons. ³³The whole town gathered at the door. ³⁴Jesus healed many people who had all kinds of diseases. He also drove out many demons. But he would not let the demons speak, because they knew who he was. ³⁵Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up. He went out to a place where he could be alone to pray. ³⁶Simon and his friends went to look for him. ³⁷When they found him, they said, "Everyone is looking for you!" ³⁸But Jesus answered, "Let's go on to the nearby towns. I need to preach there too. That is why I have come." ³⁹So he traveled all through Galilee. He preached in their synagogues and drove out demons. ⁴⁰Then a man with leprosy came to Jesus. He got down on his knees and begged him. "If you are willing, you can make me clean." ⁴¹Jesus was filled with compassion. He reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" ⁴²Right away the leprosy left him, and the man was made clean. ⁴³Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning. ⁴⁴"Be sure you don't tell anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest. Offer the gifts that Moses commanded for your cleansing. This will be a witness to them." ⁴⁵But the man went out and began to tell everyone. He spread the news openly. Because of this, Jesus could no longer go into a town where people could see him. He stayed outside in lonely places. Still, people came to him from everywhere.