English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.
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They arrived on the other side of the sea in the country of the Gerasenes.
2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
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As Jesus got out of the boat, a madman from the cemetery came up to him.
3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain,
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He lived there among the tombs and graves. No one could restrain him - he couldn't be chained, couldn't be tied down.
4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him.
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He had been tied up many times with chains and ropes, but he broke the chains, snapped the ropes. No one was strong enough to tame him.
5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
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Night and day he roamed through the graves and the hills, screaming out and slashing himself with sharp stones.
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.
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When he saw Jesus a long way off, he ran and bowed in worship before him -
7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me."
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then bellowed in protest, "What business do you have, Jesus, Son of the High God, messing with me? I swear to God, don't give me a hard time!"
8 For he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"
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(Jesus had just commanded the tormenting evil spirit, "Out! Get out of the man!")
9 And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
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Jesus asked him, "Tell me your name."
10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
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Then he desperately begged Jesus not to banish them from the country.
11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,
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A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill.
12 and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them."
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The demons begged him, "Send us to the pigs so we can live in them."
13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.
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Jesus gave the order. But it was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned.
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened.
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Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. Everyone wanted to see what had happened.
15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
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They came up to Jesus and saw the madman sitting there wearing decent clothes and making sense, no longer a walking madhouse of a man.
16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.
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Those who had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs.
17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
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At first they were in awe - and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
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As Jesus was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along,
19 And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."
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but he wouldn't let him. Jesus said, "Go home to your own people. Tell them your story - what the Master did, how he had mercy on you."
20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
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The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.
21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.
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After Jesus crossed over by boat, a large crowd met him at the seaside.
22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet
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One of the meeting-place leaders named Jairus came. When he saw Jesus, he fell to his knees,
23 and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live."
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beside himself as he begged, "My dear daughter is at death's door. Come and lay hands on her so she will get well and live."
24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.
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Jesus went with him, the whole crowd tagging along, pushing and jostling him.
25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years,
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A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years -
26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.
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a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before -
27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.
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had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe.
28 For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well."
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She was thinking to herself, "If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well."
29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
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The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with.
30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?"
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At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?"
31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'"
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His disciples said, "What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you, you're asking, 'Who touched me?' Dozens have touched you!"
32 And he looked around to see who had done it.
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But he went on asking, looking around to see who had done it.
33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.
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The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story.
34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
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Jesus said to her, "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague."
35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?"
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While he was still talking, some people came from the leader's house and told him, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?"
36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."
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Jesus overheard what they were talking about and said to the leader, "Don't listen to them; just trust me."
37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.
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He permitted no one to go in with him except Peter, James, and John.
38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.
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They entered the leader's house and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and neighbors bringing in casseroles.
39 And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping."
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Jesus was abrupt: "Why all this busybody grief and gossip? This child isn't dead; she's sleeping."
40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was.
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Provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn't know what he was talking about.
41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."
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He clasped the girl's hand and said, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, get up."
42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.
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At that, she was up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were all beside themselves with joy.
43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
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He gave them strict orders that no one was to know what had taken place in that room. Then he said, "Give her something to eat."
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.