MARK
Mark is believed to have written his gospel after Peter's death in Rome, which is presumed to have been around A.D. 64. It is generally agreed that Mark's is the earliest of the four gospels.
tl THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF Jesus Christ. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I send forth my messenger before your face, who will make ready your way. The voice of one crying in the desert: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the roads before him. John the Baptist was in the desert preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And all the land of Jud.aea c^e out to him and all the people of Jerusalem, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair, and a belt of hide around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying: He who is stronger than I is coming after me, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of his shoes. I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
And it happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. And as soon as he came out of the water he saw the skies split and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him; and there came a voice from the skies, saying: You are my son whom I love, with you I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit drove him out into the desert. And he was in the desert forty days, being tested by Satan, and he lived with the wild animals, and the angels served him.
After John was betrayed Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of God, saying: The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel. And as he went along past the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting their nets in the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them: Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And at once they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, these also in their boat mending their nets. And at once he called them. And leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers they went away, and followed him.
They came into Capernaum. And at once on the sabbath he went into the synagogue and taught; and they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who has authority and not like the scribes. And immediately in their synagogue there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit, and he cried out, saying: What is there between us and you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know you, who you are, God's holy one. Jesus reproved him, saying: Be silent and go out from him. And convulsing him and crying out in a great voice the unclean spirit went out of the man. All were amazed, so that they took counsel together, saying: What is this thing: a new kind of teaching? By his authority he gives orders even to unclean spirits, and they obey him. And immediately the rumor of him spread into the whole region about Galilee.
When they came out of the synagogue, they went immediately to the house of Simon and Andrew, along with James and John. And Simon's mother-in-law was lying in a fever, and they told him about her forthwith. He went over and took her by the hand and raised her; and the fever left her, and she served them. When it was evening, after the sun set, they brought to him all those who were ill, and those afflicted with demons, and the whole city was assembled before his door. And he healed many who were ill with various diseases, and he cast out many demons, and would not let them speak, because they knew him. Then very early in the morning he got up and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. Simon and his companions went in search of him, and found him, and said to him: All are looking for you. He said to them: Let us go elsewhere, to the neighboring communities, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I set out to do. And he went into all of Galilee preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.
A leper came to him and entreated him, saying: If you wish, you can make me clean. He took pity on him, and stretched out his hand and touched him, saying: I wish it; be clean. And at once the leprosy went from him, and he was made clean. Then he sent him away at once with a stem order, saying: See that you tell no one, but go and -show yourself to the priest, and bring him the gift for your purification that Moses ordained, as a proof to them. But the man went out and began to talk about it at length and spread the story about, so that Jesus could no longer come openly into the city, but must remain outside in unfrequented places. And they came to him from every direction.
tl When he returned to Capernaum, it became known, after a few days, that he was in a house there; and so many gathered that there was no space before the door and he preached the word to them. They came bringing him a paralytic who was carried aloft by four men. When they could not reach him because of the crowd, they took away the roof from over the place where Jesus was, and when they had made an opening they lowered the bed where the paralytic lay. Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic: My child, your sins are forgiven. There were some of the scribes sitting by, and they said to themselves in their hearts: Why does this man talk this way? He blasphemes. Who can forgive sins, except God alone? Jesus knew at once in his mind what they were saying to themselves, and said: Why do you have such thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic: Your sins are forgiven, or to say: Arise, take up your bed and walk about? But so that you may know that the son of man has authority to forgive sins upon earth-he said to the paralytic: I tell you, rise, take up your bed, and go to your house. And the man arose and took up his bed and went out, in the sight of all; so that all were astonished and glorified God, saying: We have never seen the like.
He went back to the seaside; and all the multitude came to him, and he taught them. As he went by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tollhouse, and said to him: Follow me. And he stood up and followed him. And it happened that he dined in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners dined with Jesus and his disciples;
for there were many of them, and they followed him. The scribes of the Pharisees, seeing that he ate with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples: Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? Jesus heard them, and said to them: The strong do not need a physician, but those who are in poor health. I did not come to summon the just, but the sinners.
The disciples of John, and the Pharisees, were fasting. And they came and said to him: Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? Jesus said to them: Surely the members of the wedding party cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them? For as long a time as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them; then on that day they will fast. No one sews a patch of wlfulled cloth on an old coat; if he does, the new filling pulls from the old and makes the tear worse. And no one puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the wine will break the skins, and both wine and skins are lost.
It came about that on the sabbath he went walking through the sown fields, and his disciples began to pick the ears of grain as they went. And the Pharisees said to him: Why are your disciples doing what is forbidden on the sabbath? He said to them: Have you never read what David did when he was in need, and hungry, he himself and those with him? He went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the show bread, which none but the priests are permitted to eat, and gave it also to those who were with him. And he said to them: The sabbath was made for the sake of man, not man for the sake of the sabbath. Thus the son of man is lord even of the sabbath.