Mark 1 - Easy To Read Version

¹ The Good News {\cf2\super [1]} about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, {\cf2\super [2]} begins

² with what the prophet {\cf2\super [3]} Isaiah said would happen. Isaiah wrote:

³ “There is a person shouting in the desert:\par ‘Prepare the way for the Lord.\par Make his paths straight.’”\par \i (Isaiah 40:3)\i0 \par

⁴ So John the Baptizer came and was baptizing people in the desert area. He told the people to be baptized {\cf2\super [5]} to show they wanted to change their lives. Then their sins would be forgiven.

⁵ All the people from Judea and Jerusalem went out to John. These people told the sins they had done, and then they were baptized by John in the Jordan River.

⁶ John wore clothes made from camel’s hair. John had a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts {\cf2\super [6]} and wild honey.

⁷ This is what John told the people: “There is a person coming later who is greater than I am. I am not good enough to kneel down and untie his shoes.

⁸ I baptize you with water. But that person who is coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. {\cf2\super [7]} ”

⁹ At that time Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the place where John was. John baptized {\cf2\super [8]} Jesus in the Jordan River.

¹⁰ While Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the sky open. The Holy Spirit {\cf2\super [9]} came down to Jesus like a dove.

¹¹ A voice came from heaven and said: “You are my Son and I love you. I am very pleased with you.”

¹² Then the Spirit sent Jesus into the desert alone.

¹³ Jesus was in the desert 40 days. He was there with the wild animals. While Jesus was in the desert, he was tempted by Satan \{(the devil).\} Then angels came and helped Jesus.

¹⁴ After this, John was put into prison. Jesus went into Galilee and told people the Good News from God.

¹⁵ Jesus said, “The right time is now here. The kingdom of God is near. Change your hearts and lives and believe the Good News!”

¹⁶ Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee. Jesus saw Simon {\cf2\super [10]} and Simon’s brother, Andrew. These two men were fishermen, and they were throwing a net into the lake to catch fish.

¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Come and follow me. I will make you \{a different kind of\} fishermen. You will work to gather people, \{not fish\}.”

¹⁸ So Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed Jesus.

¹⁹ Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two more brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat, preparing their nets to catch fish.

²⁰ Their father Zebedee and the men that worked for him were in the boat with the brothers. When Jesus saw the brothers he told them to come. They left their father and followed Jesus.

²¹ Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. {\cf2\super [11]} On the Sabbath day {\cf2\super [12]} Jesus went into the synagogue {\cf2\super [13]} and taught the people.

²² The people there were amazed at Jesus’ teaching. Jesus did not teach like their teachers of the law. Jesus taught like a person that had authority (power).

²³ While Jesus was in the synagogue, a man was there that had an evil spirit \{from the devil\} inside him. The man shouted,

²⁴ “Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”

²⁵ Jesus said strongly, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!”

²⁶ The evil spirit made the man shake. Then the spirit made a loud noise and came out of the man.

²⁷ The people were amazed. They asked each other, “What is happening here? This man is teaching something new. And he teaches with authority (power)! He even gives commands to evil spirits, and the spirits obey him.”

²⁸ So the news about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the area of Galilee.

²⁹ Jesus and the followers left the synagogue. {\cf2\super [14]} They all went with James and John to the home of Simon {\cf2\super [15]} and Andrew.

³⁰ Simon’s mother-in-law was very sick. She was in bed and had fever. The people there told Jesus about her.

³¹ So Jesus went to her bed. Jesus held her hand and helped her stand up. The fever left her, and she was healed. Then she began serving them.

³² That night, after the sun went down, the people brought many sick people to Jesus. They also brought people that had demons {\cf2\super [16]} inside them.

³³ All the people in the town gathered at the door of that house.

³⁴ Jesus healed many people that had different kinds of sicknesses. Jesus also forced many demons to leave people. But Jesus would not allow the demons to speak, because the demons knew who he was. {\cf2\super [17]}

³⁵ The next morning, Jesus woke up very early. Jesus left the house while it was still dark. He went to a place to be alone and pray.

³⁶ Later, Simon {\cf2\super [18]} and his friends went to look for Jesus.

³⁷ They found Jesus and said, “All the people are looking for you!”

³⁸ Jesus answered, “We should go to another place. We can go to other towns around here. Then I can tell people \{God’s message\} in those places also. That is why I came.”

³⁹ So Jesus traveled everywhere in Galilee. He spoke in the synagogues. {\cf2\super [19]} And he forced demons {\cf2\super [20]} to leave people.

⁴⁰ A man that had leprosy {\cf2\super [21]} came to Jesus. The man bowed on his knees and begged Jesus, “You have the power to heal me if you want.”

⁴¹ Jesus felt sorry for the man. So Jesus touched the man and said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!”

⁴² Immediately the leprosy disappeared, and he was healed.

⁴³ Jesus told the man to go. But Jesus warned him strongly. Jesus said,

⁴⁴ “Don’t tell any person about what I did for you. But go and show yourself to the priest. And offer a gift to God because you have been healed. Offer the gift that Moses commanded. {\cf2\super [22]} This will show people that you are healed.”

⁴⁵ The man left there and told all the people he saw that Jesus had healed him. So the news about Jesus spread. And that is why Jesus could not enter a town if people saw him. Jesus stayed in places where people did not live. But people came from all the towns to the places where Jesus was.