Mar 6-9 | ESV | STEP | He went away from there and came to his hometown , and his disciples followed him .

1 ^aHe went away from there and came to ^bhis hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And ^con the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and ^dmany who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 ^eIs not this ^fthe carpenter, the son of Mary and ^gbrother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And ^hthey took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, ⁱ“A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And ^jhe could do no mighty work there, except that ^khe laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And ^lhe marveled because of their unbelief.

^mAnd he went about among the villages teaching.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

7 ⁿAnd he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to ^owear sandals and not put on two tunics. ^{▼▼Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin} 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, ^qshake off the dust that is on your feet ^ras a testimony against them.” 12 ^sSo they went out and ^tproclaimed ^uthat people should repent. 13 ^vAnd they cast out many demons and ^wanointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

The Death of John the Baptist

14 ^xKing Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ ^{▼▼Greek his} name had become known. Some ^{▼▼Some manuscripts He} said, ^aa“John the Baptist ^{▼▼Greek baptizer; also verse 24} has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 ^acBut others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is ^ada prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 ^aeFor it was Herod who had sent and seized John and ^afbound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 ^agFor John had been saying to Herod, ^ah“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod ^aifeared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he ^ajheard him gladly.

21 But an opportunity came when Herod ^akon his birthday ^algave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, ^amup to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s ^{▼▼Greek his} head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his ^aodisciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

30 ^ap, ^aqThe apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and ^arthey had no leisure even to eat. 32 ^asAnd they went away in ^atthe boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and ^aurecognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he ^avsaw a great crowd, and ^awhe had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 ^axSend them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, ^ay“You give them something to eat.” And ^azthey said to him, ^ba“Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii ^{▼▼A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer} worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, ^bc“Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he ^bdlooked up to heaven and ^besaid a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Jesus Walks on the Water

45 ^bfImmediately he ^bgmade his disciples get into ^bhthe boat and go before him to the other side, ^bito Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, ^bjhe went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when ^bkevening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about ^blthe fourth watch of the night ^{▼▼That is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.} he came to them, walking on the sea. ^bnHe meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and ^bowere terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ^bp“Take heart; it is I. ^bqDo not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for ^brthey did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts ^bswere hardened.

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

53 ^btWhen they had crossed over, they came to land at ^buGennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately ^bvrecognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring ^bwthe sick people ^bxon their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, ^bythey laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even ^bzthe fringe of his garment. And ^caas many as touched it were made well.

Mark 7

Traditions and Commandments

1 ^cbNow when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes ^ccwho had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were ^cddefiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, ^{▼▼Greek unless they wash the hands with a fist, probably indicating a kind of ceremonial washing} holding to ^cfthe tradition of ^cgthe elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. ^{▼▼Greek unless they baptize; some manuscripts unless they purify themselves} And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as ^cithe washing of ^cjcups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts omit and dining couches}) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to ^clthe tradition of ^cmthe elders, ^cnbut eat with ^codefiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ^cphypocrites, as it is written,

^cq“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as ^crdoctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of ^csrejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ^ct‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ^cu‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God) ^{▼▼Or an offering}— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus ^cwmaking void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

What Defiles a Person

14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, ^cx“Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 ^cyThere is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add verse 16: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear} 17 And when he had entered ^dathe house and left the people, ^dbhis disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then ^dcare you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart ^ddbut his stomach, and is expelled?” ^{▼▼Greek goes out into the latrine} ( ^dfThus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, ^dg“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, ^dhmurder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, ^disensuality, ^djenvy, ^dkslander, ^dlpride, ^dmfoolishness. 23 ^dnAll these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts omit and Sidon} And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 ^dpNow the woman was a ^dqGentile, ^dra Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be ^dsfed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and ^dtthrow it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s ^ducrumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may ^dvgo your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

31 ^dwThen he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to ^dxthe Sea of Galilee, in the region of the ^dyDecapolis. 32 And they brought to him ^dza man who was deaf and ^eahad a speech impediment, and they begged him to ^eblay his hand on him. 33 And ^ectaking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and ^edafter spitting touched his tongue. 34 And ^eelooking up to heaven, ^efhe sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 ^egAnd his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And ^ehJesus ^{▼▼Greek he} charged them to tell no one. But ^ejthe more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were ^ekastonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Mark 8

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

1 ^elIn those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 ^em“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, ^en“Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and ^eohaving given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And ^ephaving blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And ^eqthey ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, ^erseven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into ^esthe boat with his disciples and went to the district of ^etDalmanutha. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts Magadan, or Magdala}

The Pharisees Demand a Sign

11 ^evThe Pharisees came and began to argue with him, ^ewseeking from him ^exa sign from heaven ^eyto test him. 12 And ^ezhe sighed deeply ^fain his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And ^fbhe left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod

14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; ^fcbeware of ^fdthe leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of ^feHerod.” ^{▼▼Some manuscripts the Herodians} 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And ^fgJesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? ^fhDo you not yet perceive ^fior understand? ^fjAre your hearts hardened? 18 ^fkHaving eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke ^flthe five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And ^fmthe seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22 And they came ^fnto Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And ^fohe took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when ^fphe had ^fqspit on his eyes and ^frlaid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus ^{▼▼Greek he} laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, ^ft“Do not even enter the village.”

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

27 ^fuAnd Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, ^fv“John the Baptist; and others say, ^fwElijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, ^fx“You are ^fythe Christ.” 30 ^fzAnd he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

31 ^gaAnd he began to teach them that ^gbthe Son of Man must ^gcsuffer many things and ^gdbe rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and ^geafter three days rise again. 32 And he said this ^gfplainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ^gg“Get behind me, Satan! For you ^ghare not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^gideny himself and ^gjtake up his cross and follow me. 35 For ^gkwhoever would save his life ^{▼▼The same Greek word can mean either soul or life, depending on the context; twice in this verse and once in verse 36 and once in verse 37} will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake ^gmand the gospel’s will save it. 36 ^gnFor what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For ^gowhat can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For ^gpwhoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this ^gqadulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed ^grwhen he comes in the glory of his Father with ^gsthe holy angels.”

Mark 9

1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ^gttaste death ^guuntil they see the kingdom of God after it has come ^gvwith power.”

The Transfiguration

2 ^gwAnd after six days Jesus took with him ^gxPeter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was ^gytransfigured before them, 3 and ^gzhis clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one ^{▼▼Greek launderer (gnapheus)} on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, ^hb“Rabbi, ^{▼▼ Rabbi means my teacher, or my master} it is good that we are here. Let us make three ^hdtents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For ^hehe did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And ^hfa cloud overshadowed them, and ^hga voice came out of the cloud, ^hh“This is my beloved Son; ^{▼▼Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved} ^hjlisten to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

9 ^hkAnd as they were coming down the mountain, ^hlhe charged them to tell no one what they had seen, ^hmuntil the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 ^hnSo they kept the matter to themselves, ^hoquestioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say ^hpthat first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first ^hqto restore all things. And ^hrhow is it written of the Son of Man that he should ^hssuffer many things and ^htbe treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and ^huthey did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

14 ^hvAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, ^hwwere greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has ^hxa spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and ^hythey were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O ^hzfaithless generation, ^iahow long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it ^ibconvulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But ^icif you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, ^id“‘If you can’! ^ieAll things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add with tears} and said, “I believe; ^ighelp my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that ^iha crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ⁱⁱ“You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and ^ijconvulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus ^iktook him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had ^ilentered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add and fasting}

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

30 ⁱⁿThey went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, ^ioafter three days he will rise.” 32 ^ipBut they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

33 And ^iqthey came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house ^irhe asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way ^isthey had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ^it“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and ^iutaking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 ^iv“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and ^iwwhoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

38 ^ixJohn said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone ^iycasting out demons in your name, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add who does not follow us} and ^jawe tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 ^jbFor the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, ^jcwhoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Temptations to Sin

42 ^jd“Whoever causes one of ^jethese little ones who believe in me to sin, ^{▼▼Greek to stumble; also verses 43, 45, 47} ^jgit would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 ^jhAnd if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to ^jihell, ^{▼▼Greek Gehenna; also verse 47} to ^jkthe unquenchable fire. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add verses 44 and 46 (which are identical with verse 48)} 45 ^jmAnd if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into ^jnhell. 47 ^joAnd if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into ^jphell, 48 ‘where ^jqtheir worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add and every sacrifice will be salted with salt} 50 ^jsSalt is good, ^jtbut if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? ^juHave salt in yourselves, and ^jvbe at peace with one another.”