Mark

This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

Note"Gospel" translates a Greek word meaning good news, the sort of announcement a herald made about a victory or a new ruler. "Christ" is not a surname but a title: it renders the Greek christos, "anointed one," which in Hebrew is the word we spell as Messiah. Kings and priests were anointed with oil when installed in office, so the title means someone marked out and commissioned. Some early manuscripts lack the words "the Son of God" here.

2It is written in the prophets: "Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will get your road ready for you."

2As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

NoteThe quotation is a blend of two passages: this line comes from Malachi 3:1, with wording borrowed from Exodus 23:20, while the line quoted in the next verse comes from Isaiah 40:3. The oldest manuscripts introduce it as "in Isaiah the prophet"; later copies read "in the prophets," which is what the King James translators had in front of them.

3"A voice is shouting in the desert: 'Get the road ready for the Lord. Make his paths straight.'"

3The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

NoteThe image is practical road work. When a king traveled, crews went ahead to clear, level and straighten the track so his party could pass. "Wilderness" in the King James does not mean forest; it means dry, unfarmed, thinly settled country.

4John was out in the desert. He baptized people and preached that they should turn away from their sins and be baptized, so their sins would be forgiven.

4John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Note"Baptize" is a Greek word carried into English rather than translated; it means to dip or plunge. Washing with water for ritual purity was already familiar in Jewish practice, but those washings were repeated and self-administered, while John's was a single public act performed on people who came out to him. "Remission" in 1611 English means release or cancellation, the way a debt is cancelled, not a reduction.

5The whole country of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem came out to him. They admitted their sins out loud, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

5And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

NoteIn King James English "of" frequently means "by," so "baptized of him" is "baptized by him." The Jordan is the river running down the deep valley east of Jerusalem, a hard day's journey from the city, so coming to John meant a deliberate trip out of settled territory. "All the land of Judaea" is the ordinary ancient way of saying a very great many people, not literally everyone.

6John wore clothing made of camel hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

6And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

NoteCamel hair cloth and a leather belt were coarse, cheap clothing, and the pairing matches the description of the prophet Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8, "an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins." "Loins" means the waist and hips. Locusts are edible insects, specifically listed among the creatures Jewish law permits as food in Leviticus 11:22, and wild honey was taken from rock crevices and hollow trees. Both are food you find rather than farm.

7He preached, "Someone stronger than I am is coming after me. I am not good enough even to bend down and untie the straps of his sandals.

7And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

Note"Latchet" is an old English word for a strap or lace, and the "shoes" are sandals. Untying and removing a man's sandals was work given to the lowest slave in a household, so the comparison is not modesty in general but a specific picture of the meanest possible service.

8I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

8I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

Note"Ghost" in 1611 English simply meant spirit, with none of the modern sense of a haunting; "Holy Ghost" and "Holy Spirit" render the same two Greek words. The preposition translated "with" can equally mean "in," so the phrase can be read as baptized with water or in water.

9In those days Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River.

9And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

NoteNazareth was a small village in the hills of Galilee, the northern region of the country, and is never mentioned in the Old Testament or in any earlier surviving source. Galilee lay well north of Jerusalem, and its people were regarded by southerners as provincial.

10Right away, as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove.

10And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

Note"Straightway" is the King James word for "at once." Mark uses this Greek adverb around forty times, far more than any other New Testament writer, which is what gives his account its breathless pace. The verb behind "opened" is stronger than it sounds: it means torn or ripped apart, and Mark uses the same word later for the tearing of the temple curtain.

11And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with you."

11And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

NoteThe sentence is built from two Old Testament lines. "Thou art my Son" comes from Psalm 2:7, words addressed to the king at his enthronement, and "in whom my soul delighteth" comes from Isaiah 42:1, addressed to God's chosen servant. The Greek word rendered "beloved" can also carry the sense of "only."

12At once the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert.

12And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

Note"Driveth" translates a forceful verb, the same one Mark uses a few verses later for throwing demons out of people. It means pushed or expelled, not led.

13He was there in the desert forty days, and Satan tested him. He was among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.

13And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

NoteForty days is a span with a history behind it: Israel spent forty years in the desert, and both Moses and Elijah were described as spending forty days there. "Tempted" in 1611 English means tested or put to the proof, a wider idea than being enticed to do wrong. "Ministered" means waited on or served, and includes the practical sense of bringing food. The wild beasts are a real hazard of uninhabited country, not a decorative detail.

14After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news about the kingdom of God.

14Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

Note"The kingdom of God" means God's rule or reign, the state of affairs in which God is acting as king, rather than a territory with borders. To a first-century Jewish audience under Roman occupation, announcing it was a claim about who was actually in charge.

15He said, "The time has come, and the kingdom of God is near. Turn away from your sins and believe the good news."

15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Note"The time is fulfilled" uses a Greek word for a particular appointed moment rather than time as ongoing duration; the sense is that the awaited moment has now arrived. "At hand" translates a verb meaning has come near, and interpreters have argued for centuries over whether that means it has already arrived or is on the point of arriving; the Greek does not settle it. "Repent" renders a word meaning to change one's mind and turn around, and in Jewish usage it meant turning back toward God in conduct, not simply feeling regret.

16As he was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, because they were fishermen.

16Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

NoteThe Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake roughly thirteen miles long and eight across, and fishing it was an ordinary trade with boats, crews, salting works and export markets. The net being thrown here is the circular casting net, weighted around its edge, thrown by a single man from the shore or from shallow water.

17Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

17And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

Note"Fishers of men" is a deliberate play on their trade. The image of catching people already existed in the prophets, where it can mean gathering them in or hauling them off for judgment, as in Jeremiah 16:16, so the phrase did not sound purely warm to the first hearers.

18Right away they left their nets and followed him.

18And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

19When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in their boat, mending their nets.

19And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

NoteMending nets was daily work, not a repair after an accident. Linen nets rotted, snagged on rocks and had to be washed, dried and knotted back together after every outing. The "ship" of the King James here is a small open fishing boat rowed or sailed by a handful of men.

20Right away he called them. They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers, and they went with Jesus.

20And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

Note"Hired servants" means paid employees, not slaves. Their presence shows a family business substantial enough to take on crew, so what the brothers walk away from is a working concern with assets.

21They went into the town of Capernaum. On the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest, Jesus went straight into the synagogue, the local meeting place for worship and teaching, and began to teach.

21And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

NoteCapernaum was a fishing town on the northwest shore of the lake, sitting on a trade road and large enough to have a customs post. The Sabbath ran from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday and was kept as a day on which no work was done. A synagogue was the local assembly building where Jews gathered on that day to hear the scriptures read and explained; there was no fixed preacher, and a qualified visitor could be invited to speak, which is how Jesus comes to be teaching there.

22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them like someone who had real authority, not like the scribes, the men trained to copy and explain the law.

22And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

Note"Doctrine" in 1611 English means simply teaching, with none of the modern sense of formal dogma. Scribes were the trained specialists in the written law, professionally literate in a largely illiterate society, and they taught by citing what earlier recognized authorities had ruled. Teaching "as one that had authority" means speaking on one's own account instead of leaning on that chain of citation.

23In their synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit in him, and he shouted out,

23And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

Note"Unclean" here has nothing to do with dirt. It belongs to the vocabulary of ritual purity: what is unclean is barred from contact with what is holy, which makes the presence of such a spirit inside a synagogue a contradiction in terms. "Unclean spirit" is Mark's usual phrase for what other writers call a demon.

24"Leave us alone! 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."

24Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

Note"What have we to do with thee" is a literal rendering of a Semitic idiom, word for word "what is there between us and you," used to fend someone off: we want nothing from you, leave us alone. The speech slides between "us" and "I" in the Greek as well as in English. Stating a person's exact name and origin, as the spirit does here, was widely believed in the ancient world to be a way of getting power over them.

25Jesus gave the spirit a sharp order: "Be quiet, and come out of him."

25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

Note"Hold thy peace" means be silent. The Greek verb is literally "be muzzled," a blunt command of the kind used on an animal, and Mark uses the same word later when the storm is silenced.

26The unclean spirit shook the man hard, screamed loudly, and came out of him.

26And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

Note"Torn him" means threw him into convulsions. The verb describes violent physical wrenching of the body, not tearing in the sense of injury to the skin.

27Everyone was amazed, and they asked each other, "What is this? This is a new teaching, and it comes with authority. He even gives orders to unclean spirits, and they obey him."

27And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

28Right away the news about him spread everywhere, through the whole region around Galilee.

28And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

Note"Fame" in 1611 English means report or news, simply what is being said about a person, without the modern implication of celebrity.

29As soon as they left the synagogue, they went to the house of Simon and Andrew, and James and John went with them.

29And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

30Simon's wife's mother was lying in bed sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once.

30But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

Note"Anon" is old English for at once. "Simon's wife's mother" is his mother-in-law, and the phrase states plainly that Simon, later called Peter, was married. In the ancient world a fever was treated as a disease in its own right rather than a symptom, and it could be a serious one.

31He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them.

31And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

Note"Ministered unto them" means waited on them, in practice preparing and serving food. The detail is there to show the completeness of the recovery: someone with such a fever could not have risen and gone straight to work.

32That evening, after the sun went down, people brought Jesus everyone who was sick and everyone who had demons in them.

32And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

NoteThe doubled time marker is doing real work. The Sabbath ended at sunset, and carrying a sick person through the streets before then would have counted as the labor forbidden on that day, so the crowd arrives at the first lawful moment. "Devils" is the King James word for what modern versions call demons; the Greek word here is a different one from the name of the devil, Satan.

33The whole town crowded together at the door.

33And all the city was gathered together at the door.

Note"City" in the King James covers any settled town, however small. Capernaum probably held one or two thousand people. "All the city" is ordinary exaggeration for a very large crowd.

34He healed many people who were sick with all kinds of diseases, and he drove out many demons. He would not let the demons speak, because they knew who he was.

34And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

Note"Suffered not" means did not allow; "suffer" in 1611 English regularly means permit, as in "suffer the little children to come unto me." "Divers" is the old spelling of "diverse" in the sense of various or several different kinds.

35Early in the morning, long before daylight, Jesus got up and went out to a place where he could be alone, and he prayed there.

35And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Note"A great while before day" means long before dawn. Work began at first light and people slept in shared quarters, so this is a deliberately chosen hour, the only time no one would be awake to follow.

36Simon and the others with him went looking for him.

36And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

37When they found him, they said, "Everyone is looking for you."

37And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

38He said to them, "Let's go on to the nearby towns, so I can preach there too. That is why I came."

38And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

Note"Next towns" means the neighboring or nearest towns, not the next ones in a sequence. "Therefore came I forth" is ambiguous in the Greek as much as in the English: it can mean that is why I left the house this morning, or why I came out of Capernaum, or what I came for in a larger sense. The wording does not decide between them.

39So he traveled through all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

39And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

40A man with leprosy came to Jesus, begged him, and knelt down in front of him. He said, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

40And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

NoteThe Greek word covers a range of disfiguring skin conditions and is not confined to the illness now called Hansen's disease. Under the law of Leviticus 13 a person diagnosed with one had to live apart from the community, keep his clothes torn and his head uncovered, call out a warning to anyone approaching, and stay out of worship. "Clean" is therefore not about washing: the man is asking to be released from that status and returned to normal life.

41Jesus felt deep pity for him. He reached out his hand, touched the man, and said to him, "I am willing. Be clean."

41And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

NoteSome early manuscripts read not "moved with compassion" but "moved with anger," and translators still divide over which wording was original. The touch itself is the arresting detail, since under the purity law contact with such a person made the toucher unclean.

42As soon as Jesus said it, the leprosy left the man, and he was clean.

42And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

43Jesus gave him a stern warning and sent him away at once.

43And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

Note"Straitly charged" means gave a strict and severe order; "straitly" means tightly or strictly and is unrelated to "straight." The Greek verb is unusually harsh, used elsewhere of snorting in anger. "Forthwith" means immediately.

44He said to him, "Be careful not to tell anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest, and bring the offering Moses commanded for someone who has been made clean. That will be proof to them."

44And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

NoteThe procedure is laid out in Leviticus 14: the priest inspects the healed person, and then over eight days offerings of birds, lambs, flour and oil are made, after which the person is formally readmitted. Only a priest could certify someone clean, so this is the legal step that gives the man his place in the community back. "For a testimony unto them" is ambiguous in the Greek: it can mean evidence for the priests that he is cured, or evidence against them, and both readings are possible.

45But the man went out and started telling everyone, spreading the news far and wide. Because of that, Jesus could no longer go into a town openly. He stayed outside in lonely places, and people came to him from every direction.

45But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

Note"Publish" in 1611 English means to announce openly and has nothing to do with printing. "Blaze abroad" means to spread news widely; the verb comes from an old word for blowing a horn and is unconnected with fire. "Desert places" means uninhabited open country, and "without" here means outside.