Mat 8:28-34, Mar 5:1-20 | ISV | STEP | Jesus Heals Two Demon-Possessed Men When Jesus arrived on the other side in the region of the Gerasenes, two demon-possessed men met him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could travel on that road.

Matthew 8:28-34

28 Jesus Heals Two Demon-Possessed Men Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39When Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. he} arrived on the other side in the region of the Gerasenes, ^{▼▼Other mss. read Gergesenes; still other mss. read Gadarenes} two demon-possessed men met him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could travel on that road.Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26 29 Suddenly they screamed, “What do you want with us, Son of God? Did you come here to torture us before the proper time?”

30 Now a large herd of pigs was grazing some distance away from them. 31 So the demons began to plead with Jesus, ^{▼▼Lit. him} saying, “If you drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”

32 He said to them, “Go,” and they came out and went into the pigs. Suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the cliff into the sea and died in the water.

33 Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs ran away, they came into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole city went out to meet Jesus, and as soon as they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.Deut 5:25; 1Kings 17:18; Luke 5:8; Acts 16:39

Mark 5:1-20

1 Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-39

They arrived at the other side of the sea in the territory of the Gerasenes. ^{▼▼Other mss. read Gergesenes; still other mss. read Gadarenes}Matt 8:28; Luke 8:26 2 Just as Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. he} stepped out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. 3 He lived among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, not even with a chain. 4 He had often been restrained with shackles and chains but had snapped the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one could tame him. 5 Night and day he kept screaming among the tombs and on the mountainsides and kept cutting himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell down in front of him, 7 screaming in a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I command you in the name of God not to torture me!”

8 For Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. he} had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 Then Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. he} asked him, “What's your name?”

He said to him, “My name is Legion, ^{▼▼A Roman legion consisted of about 6,000 men.} because there are many of us.” 10 He kept pleading with Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. him} not to send them out of the territory.

11 Now a large herd of pigs was grazing on a hillside nearby. 12 So the demons ^{▼▼Lit. they} begged him, “Send us among the pigs, so that we can go into them!” 13 So he let them do this. The unclean spirits came out of the man ^{▼▼The Gk. lacks of the man} and went into the pigs, and the herd of about 2,000 rushed down the cliff into the sea and drowned there. ^{▼▼Lit. drowned in the sea}

14 Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs ran away, they reported what had happened ^{▼▼Lit. they reported it} in the city and countryside. So the people ^{▼▼Lit. they} went to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus and saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there dressed and in his right mind, they were frightened. 16 The people who had seen it told them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. 17 So they began to beg Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. him} to leave their territory.Matt 8:34; Acts 16:39

18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging him to let him go with him.Luke 8:38 19 But Jesus ^{▼▼Lit. he} wouldn't let him. Instead, he told him, “Go home to your family, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been to you.” 20 So the man ^{▼▼Lit. he} left and began proclaiming in the Decapolis ^{▼▼Lit. the Ten Cities, a loose federation of ten cities strongly influenced by Greek culture.} how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was utterly amazed.