Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech, Mark Part 2

"The head of John the Baptizer," she replied.

006:025 The girl immediately came in, in haste, to the King and made her request. "My desire is," she said, "that you will give me, here and now, on a dish, the head of John the Baptist."

006:026 Then the King, though intensely sorry, yet for the sake of his oaths, and of his guests, would not break faith with her.

006:027 He at once sent a soldier of his guard with orders to bring John's head. So he went and beheaded him in the prison, 006:028 and brought his head on a dish and gave it to the young girl, who gave it to her mother.

006:029 When John's disciples heard of it, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.

006:030 When the Apostles had re-a.s.sembled round Jesus, they reported to Him all they had done and all they had taught.

006:031 Then He said to them, "Come away, all of you, to a quiet place, and rest awhile." For there were many coming and going, so that they had no time even for meals.

006:032 Accordingly they sailed away in the boat to a solitary place apart.

006:033 But the people saw them going, and many knew them; and coming by land they ran together there from all the neighbouring towns, and arrived before them.

006:034 So when Jesus landed, He saw a vast mult.i.tude; and His heart was moved with pity for them, because they were like sheep which have no shepherd, and He proceeded to teach them many things.

006:035 By this time it was late; so His disciples came to Him, and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late: 006:036 send them away that they may go to the farms and villages near here and buy themselves something to eat."

006:037 "Give them food yourselves," He replied. "Are we," they asked, "to go and buy two hundred s.h.i.+llings' worth of bread and give them food?"

006:038 "How many loaves have you?" He inquired; "go and see."

So they found out, and said, "Five; and a couple of fish."

006:039 So He directed them to make all sit down in companies on the green gra.s.s.

006:040 And they sat down in rows of hundreds and of fifties.

006:041 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and lifting His eyes to Heaven He blessed the food. Then He broke the loaves into portions which He went on handing to the disciples to distribute; giving pieces also of the two fish to them all.

006:042 All ate and were fully satisfied.

006:043 And they carried away broken portions enough to fill twelve baskets, besides pieces of the fish.

006:044 Those who ate the bread were 5,000 adult men.

006:045 Immediately afterwards He made His disciples go on board the boat and cross over to Bethsaida, leaving Him behind to dismiss the crowd.

006:046 He then bade the people farewell, and went away up the hill to pray.

006:047 When evening was come, the boat was half way across the Lake, while he Himself was on sh.o.r.e alone.

006:048 But when He saw them distressed with rowing (for the wind was against them), towards morning He came towards them walking on the Lake, as if intending to pa.s.s them.

006:049 They saw Him walking on the water, and thinking that it was a spirit they cried out; 006:050 for they all saw Him and were terrified. He, however, immediately spoke to them. "There is no danger," He said; "it is I; be not alarmed."

006:051 Then He went up to them on board the boat, and the wind lulled; and they were beside themselves with silent amazement.

006:052 For they had not learned the lesson taught by the loaves, but their minds were dull.

006:053 Having crossed over they drew to land in Gennesaret and came to anchor.

006:054 But no sooner had they gone ash.o.r.e than the people immediately recognized Him.

006:055 Then they scoured the whole district, and began to bring Him the sick on their mats wherever they heard He was.

006:056 And enter wherever He might--village or town or hamlet-- they laid their sick in the open places, and entreated Him to let them touch were it but the ta.s.sel of His robe; and all, whoever touched Him, were restored to health.

007:001 Then the Pharisees, with certain Scribes who had come from Jerusalem, came to Him in a body.

007:002 They had noticed that some of His disciples were eating their food with 'unclean' (that is to say, unwashed) hands.

007:003 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews--being, as they are, zealous for the traditions of the Elders--never eat without first carefully was.h.i.+ng their hands, 007:004 and when they come from market they will not eat without bathing first; and they have a good many other customs which they have received traditionally and cling to, such as the rinsing of cups and pots and of bronze utensils, and the was.h.i.+ng of beds.) 007:005 So the Pharisees and Scribes put the question to Him: "Why do your disciples transgress the traditions of the Elders, and eat their food with unclean hands?"

007:006 "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites," He replied; "as it is written, "'This People honour Me with their lips, while their hearts are far away from Me: 007:007 But idle is their devotion while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'

007:008 "You neglect G.o.d's Commandment: you hold fast to men's traditions."

007:009 "Praiseworthy indeed!" He added, "to set at nought G.o.d's Commandment in order to observe your own traditions!

007:010 For Moses said, 'Honour thy father and thy mother' and again, 'He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.'

007:011 But *you* say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, It is a Korban (that is, a thing devoted to G.o.d), whatever it is, which otherwise you would have received from me--'

007:012 And so you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or mother, 007:013 thus nullifying G.o.d's precept by your tradition which you have handed down. And many things of that kind you do."

007:014 Then Jesus called the people to Him again. "Listen to me, all of you," He said, "and understand.

007:015 There is nothing outside a man which entering him can make him unclean; but it is the things which come out of a man that make him unclean."

007:016 []

007:017 After He had left the crowd and gone indoors, His disciples began to ask Him about this figure of speech.

007:018 "Have *you* also so little understanding?" He replied; "do you not understand that anything whatever that enters a man from outside cannot make him unclean, 007:019 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and pa.s.ses away ejected from him?" By these words Jesus p.r.o.nounced all kinds of food clean.

007:020 "What comes out of a man," He added, "that it is which makes him unclean.

007:021 For from within, out of men's hearts, their evil purposes proceed-- fornication, theft, murder, adultery, 007:022 covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, reviling, pride, reckless folly: 007:023 all these wicked things come out from within and make a man unclean."

007:024 Then He rose and left that place and went into the neighbourhood of Tyre and Sidon. Here He entered a house and wished no one to know it, but He could not escape observation.

007:025 Forthwith a woman whose little daughter was possessed by a foul spirit heard of Him, and came and flung herself at His feet.

007:026 She was a Gentile woman, a Syro-phoenician by nation: and again and again she begged Him to expel the demon from her daughter.

007:027 "Let the children first eat all they want," He said; "it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

007:028 "True, Sir," she replied, "and yet the dogs under the table eat the children's sc.r.a.ps."

007:029 "For those words of yours, go home," He replied; "the demon has gone out of your daughter."

007:030 So she went home, and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

007:031 Returning from the neighbourhood of Tyre, He came by way of Sidon to the Lake of Galilee, pa.s.sing through the district of the Ten Towns.

007:032 Here they brought to Him a deaf man that stammered, on whom they begged Him to lay His hands.

007:033 So Jesus taking him aside, apart from the crowd, put His fingers into his ears, and spat, and moistened his tongue; 007:034 and looking up to Heaven He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha!"

(that is, "Open!") 007:035 And the man's ears were opened, and his tongue became untied, and he began to speak perfectly.

007:036 Then Jesus charged them to tell no one; but the more He charged them, all the more did they spread the news far and wide.

007:037 The amazement was extreme. "He succeeds in everything he attempts," they exclaimed; "he even makes deaf men hear and dumb men speak!"

008:001 About that time there was again an immense crowd, and they found themselves with nothing to eat. So He called His disciples to Him.

008:002 "My heart yearns over the people," He said; "for this is now the third day they have remained with me, and they have nothing to eat.

008:003 If I were to send them home hungry, they would faint on the way, some of them having come a great distance."

008:004 "Where can we possibly get bread here in this remote place to satisfy such a crowd?" answered His disciples.

008:005 "How many loaves have you?" He asked. "Seven," they said.

008:006 So He pa.s.sed the word to the people to sit down on the ground.

Then taking the seven loaves He blessed them, and broke them into portions and proceeded to give them to His disciples for them to distribute, and they distributed them to the people.

008:007 They had also a few small fish. He blessed them, and He told His disciples to distribute these also.

008:008 So the people ate an abundant meal; and what remained over they picked up and carried away--seven hampers of broken pieces.

008:009 The number fed were about 4,000. Then He sent them away, 008:010 and at once going on board with His disciples He came into the district of Dalmanutha.

008:011 The Pharisees followed Him and began to dispute with Him, asking Him for a sign in the sky, to make trial of Him.

008:012 Heaving a deep and troubled sigh, He said, "Why do the men of to-day ask for a sign? In solemn truth I tell you that no sign will be given to the men of to-day."

008:013 So He left them, went on board again, and came away to the other side.

008:014 Now they had forgotten to take bread, nor had they more than a single loaf with them in the boat; 008:015 and when He admonished them, "See to it, be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod,"

008:016 they explained His words to one another by saying, "We have no bread!"

008:017 He perceived what they were saying, and He said to them, "What is this discussion of yours about having no bread?

Do you not yet see and understand? Are your minds so dull of comprehension?

008:018 You have eyes! can you not see? You have ears! can you not hear? and have you no memory?

008:019 When I broke up the five loaves for the 5,000 men, how many baskets did you carry away full of broken portions?"

"Twelve," they said.

008:020 "And when the seven for the 4,000, how many hampers full of portions did you take away?" "Seven," they answered.

008:021 "Do you not yet understand?" He said.

008:022 And they came to Bethsaida. And a blind man was brought to Jesus and they entreated Him to touch him.

008:023 So He took the blind man by the arm and brought him out of the village, and spitting into his eyes He put His hands on him and asked him, "Can you see anything?"

008:024 He looked up and said, "I can see the people: I see them like trees--only walking."

008:025 Then for the second time He put His hands on the man's eyes, and the man, looking steadily, recovered his sight and saw everything distinctly.

008:026 So He sent him home, and added, "Do not even go into the village."

008:027 From that place Jesus and His disciples went to the villages belonging to Caesarea Philippi. On the way He began to ask His disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"

008:028 "John the Baptist," they replied, "but others say Elijah, and others, that it is one of the Prophets."

008:029 Then He asked them pointedly, "But you yourselves, who do you say that I am?" "You are the Christ," answered Peter.

008:030 And He strictly forbad them to tell this about Him to any one.

008:031 And now for the first time He told them, "The Son of Man must endure much suffering, and be rejected by the Elders and the High Priests and the Scribes, and be put to death, and after two days rise to life."

008:032 This He told them plainly; whereupon Peter took Him and began to remonstrate with Him.

008:033 But turning round and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter.

"Get behind me, Adversary," He said, "for your thoughts are not G.o.d's thoughts, but men's."

008:034 Then calling to Him the crowd and also His disciples, He said to them, "If any one is desirous of following me, let him ignore self and take up his cross, and so be my follower.

008:035 For whoever is bent on securing his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News, will secure it.

008:036 Why, what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

008:037 For what could a man give to buy back his life?

008:038 Every one, however, who has been ashamed of me and of my teachings in this faithless and sinful age, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels."