1 Soon after that, Jesus went, along with his twelve disciples, through various cities and villages. As they went, he was telling people the good message about how God wants ◄to have complete control/to rule► [MET] over their lives. 2 Some women from whom he had expelled evil spirits and healed of diseases also went with him. These included Mary, the woman from Magdala village, from whom he had expelled seven evil spirits; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, who was one of King Herod Antipas’ officials; Susanna; and many others. They were providing some of their own funds to help Jesus and his disciples.

4 A large crowd of people came to Jesus from many towns. Then he told them this parable: 5 “A man went out to his field to sow some seeds. As he was scattering them over the soil, some of the seeds fell on the path. Then people walked on those seeds, and birds ate them. 6 Some of the seeds fell on rock on which there was a thin layer of moist soil. As soon as the seeds grew, the plants dried up because they had no moisture. 7 Some of the seeds fell on ground that contained roots of thorny weeds. The thorny weeds grew together with the young plants, and they crowded out those plants. 8 But some of the seeds fell on good soil and grew well. Each seed later produced 100 grains.” Then Jesus called out to them, “If you want to understand [MTY] this, you must consider carefully what I have just said!”

9 Jesus’ disciples later asked him about the meaning of the parable he had just told. 10 He said, “God is revealing to you what he did not reveal before, about how he wants to rule [MET] over people’s lives. But when I am telling other people about these things, I tell them only in parables. The result will be like a prophet predicted long ago:

11 So this is the meaning of that parable: The seeds represent God’s message. 12  Some people are like the path on which some of the seeds fell. When these people hear God’s message, the devil comes and causes them to forget what they have heard. As a result, they do not believe it, and will not be saved {God will not save them}. 13  Some people are like the soil with rock underneath. When they hear God’s message, they accept it joyfully. But because it does not penetrate deeply [MET] into their inner beings, they believe it for only a short time. They are like the plants that did not have deep roots. When difficult things happen to them, they stop believing God’s message. 14  Some people are like the soil that had roots of thorny weeds in it. They are people who accept God’s message, but later on they worry about things, and try to become rich, and enjoy things that give them a lot of pleasure. So they do not become spiritually mature. 15 But some people are like the good soil. They hear God’s message and accept it. They become good, honest people, and they continue doing things that please God [MET].”

16 “After people light a lamp, they do not cover it with a basket or put it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a lampstand, so that those who enter their house can see things from its light [MET]. Similarly, you must tell God’s truth to others so that they can know what I can do for them. 17  God wants to make clear all of his truth that was not evident previously. He intends that all of the truth that he had not revealed before be told openly {that his people openly tell others all of the truth that he has not revealed before}. 18 So listen carefully to what I tell you, because God will enable those who accept my truth to understand even more. But God will cause those who do not accept my truth to not understand even the little that they think they have understood.”

19  One day Jesus’ mother and his younger brothers came to see him, but they could not get near him because there was a large crowd around him in the house. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and your younger brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “Those who hear God’s message and obey it are as dear to me [MET] as my mother and my brothers.”

22 One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples. He said to them, “Let’s go around to the other side of the lake.” So they started to go. 23 As they were sailing, he fell asleep. A big windstorm struck the lake. Soon the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. 24 Jesus’ disciples woke him up. They said to him, “Master! Master! We (inc) are going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and told the waves to be calm. The wind immediately stopped blowing and the waves calmed down. The lake became calm. 25 He said to them, “◄I am disappointed that you did not trust me to help you!/Why did you not trust me to help you?►” [RHQ] They were afraid. They were also amazed. They said to each other, “◄What kind of man is this?/This man is not like ordinary men!► [RHQ] He not only commands people, but when he commands the wind and the water, they also obey him!”

26 Jesus and his disciples arrived at the region near Gerasa, a town which was on the eastern side of Lake Galilee. 27  There was a man in that region in whom demons lived. He was from the town of Gerasa. (OR, In that area there was a man from that town whom demons controlled.) For a long time he had not worn clothes. He did not live in a house. Instead, he lived in burial caves. 28-29 Many times demons attacked him. He was guarded {People tried to guard him} so that he would not injure others. Chains were fastened {They fastened chains} on his hands and shackles on his feet, but he would break the chains and shackles. Then he would be sent away by the demons {the demons would send him away} to some desolate area.

When Jesus stepped out of the boat onto the shore, the man saw him. He ran to Jesus and prostrated himself before him. Then Jesus commanded, “You evil spirit, come out of that man!” But it did not leave immediately. Instead, it caused the man to shout very loudly, “Jesus, Son of the great God in heaven, since we (inc) have nothing in common, leave me alone [RHQ]! I beg you, do not torture me now!” 30  In order to expel the demon more easily, Jesus asked the demon, “What is your (sg) name?” He replied, “My name is Crowd/Mob.” He said that because many demons had entered that man. 31  The demons kept begging Jesus that he would not command them to go into the deep place where God punishes demons. 32 There was a large herd of pigs ◄grazing/rooting for food► on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus that he allow them to enter the pigs. So he did. 33 The demons left the man and entered the pigs. Then the herd of pigs rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

34 When the men who were taking care of the pigs saw what happened, they ran! They told people inside the town and outside the town what had happened. 35 So people went out to see what had happened. When they came to where Jesus was, they saw that the man from whom Jesus had expelled the demons was sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to him. He had clothes on, and his mind was normal again. Then those people became afraid because they thought that Jesus would destroy more of their property (OR, because they realized that he must be very powerful). 36 The people who had seen what happened told those who had just arrived how Jesus had healed the man whom demons were controlling before. 37 Then those people and many other people [HYP] from the area near Gerasa asked Jesus to leave their area. They were very afraid of what else Jesus would do to them. So Jesus and the disciples got into the boat to go back across the lake. 38 The man from whom he had expelled the demons begged him saying, “Please, let me go with you!” But Jesus refused. Instead, he said to him, 39 “No, go home and tell people how much God has done for you!” Then he sent him away. So the man went away and told people throughout the nearby town how much Jesus had done for him.

40 When Jesus and the disciples returned to Capernaum, a crowd of people who had been waiting for him welcomed him. 41 Just then a man named Jairus, who was one of the leaders ◄of the synagogue/of the Jewish meeting place► there, came near and prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet. He pleaded with Jesus, “Please come to my house and heal my daughter, 42 my only daughter, who is about twelve years old, because she is dying!”

As Jesus went with him, many people crowded close to Jesus. 43 Then a woman came near. She had been suffering from constant vaginal [EUP] bleeding for twelve years, but she could not be healed by anyone {no one could heal her}. 44 She came behind Jesus and touched the edge of his robe in order to be healed. At once her bleeding stopped. 45 Jesus said, “Who touched me?” When everyone said that they had not touched him, Peter said, “Lord, there is a large crowd of people around you (sg) and crowding against you, so any one of them might have touched you!” 46 But Jesus said, “I know that someone deliberately touched me, because my power has healed someone who touched me.” 47 When the woman realized that she could not prevent Jesus (OR, people) from knowing that she was healed, her body began to shake. She was afraid that because she had disobeyed the law that a woman with such a condition should not touch others, Jesus might scold her for doing that. She prostrated herself before Jesus. As the other people were listening, she told why she had touched him and how she had been healed immediately. 48  Jesus said to her, “◄Ma’am/My dear woman►, because you believed [PRS] that I could heal you, I have healed you. Go from here, and may you experience God’s peace within you.”

49 While he was still talking to her, a man from Jairus’ house came and said to Jairus, “Your daughter has died. So ◄it is useless that you bother the teacher any longer by urging him to go to your house!/why do you bother the teacher any longer by urging him to go to your house?► [RHQ]” 50 But when Jesus heard that, he said to Jairus, “Do not think that there is nothing more that can be done. Just believe that I can help her. If you(sg) do that, she will live again.” 51 When they arrived outside Jairus’ house, Jesus allowed only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s mother and father to go in Jairus’ house with him. 52 All the people there were crying and beating their chests to show that they were sad. But, knowing that he would cause the girl to live again, he said to them, “Stop crying! She is not dead! She is just sleeping [MET]!” 53 The people laughed at him, because they knew that the girl was dead. 54 But Jesus took hold of her hand and called to her, saying, “Child, get up!” 55 At once her spirit returned to her body and she got up. Jesus immediately said, “Give her something to eat!” 56 Her parents were amazed, but Jesus told them not to tell anyone else yet what had happened.