1 A beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God. 2 As it has been written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, || Who will prepare Your way before You. 3 A voice of one calling in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD, || Make His paths straight.” 4 John came immersing in the wilderness, and proclaiming an immersion of conversion for forgiveness of sins, 5 and there were going forth to him all the region of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and they were all immersed by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and a girdle of skin around his loins, and eating locusts and honey of the field, 7 and he proclaimed, saying, “He comes—who is mightier than I—after me, of whom I am not worthy—having stooped down—to loose the strap of His sandals; 8 I indeed immersed you in water, but He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit.” 9 And it came to pass in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was immersed by John in the Jordan; 10 and immediately coming up from the water, He saw the heavens dividing, and the Spirit coming down on Him as a dove; 11 and a voice came out of the heavens, “You are My Son, the Beloved, in whom I delighted.” 12 And immediately the Spirit puts Him forth into the wilderness, 13 and He was there in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan, and He was with the beasts, and the messengers were ministering to Him. 14 And after the delivering up of John, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time has been fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near, convert and believe in the good news.” 16 And walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon, and his brother Andrew, casting a drag into the sea, for they were fishers, 17 and Jesus said to them, “Come after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men”; 18 and immediately, having left their nets, they followed Him. 19 And having gone on there a little, He saw James of Zebedee, and his brother John, and they were in the boat refitting the nets, 20 and immediately He called them, and having left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, they went away after Him. 21 And they go on to Capernaum, and immediately, on the Sabbaths, having gone into the synagogue, He was teaching, 22 and they were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, 24 saying, “What [regards] us and You, Jesus the Nazarene? You came to destroy us; I have known You, who You are—the Holy One of God.” 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silenced, and come forth out of him,” 26 and the unclean spirit having convulsed him, and having cried with a great voice, came forth out of him, 27 and they were all amazed, so as to reason among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new teaching [is] this? That with authority He also commands the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!” 28 And the fame of Him went forth immediately to all the region of Galilee. 29 And immediately, having come forth out of the synagogue, they went into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John, 30 and the mother-in-law of Simon was lying fevered, and immediately they tell Him about her, 31 and having come near, He raised her up, having laid hold of her hand, and the fever left her immediately, and she was ministering to them. 32 And evening having come, when the sun set, they brought to Him all who were ill and who were demoniacs, 33 and the whole city was gathered together near the door, 34 and He healed many who were ill of manifold diseases, and He cast forth many demons, and was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 35 And very early, it being yet night, having risen, He went forth, and went away to a desolate place, and was praying there; 36 and Simon and those with him went in quest of Him, 37 and having found Him, they say to Him, “All seek You”; 38 and He says to them, “We may go into the next towns, that there also I may preach, for—for this I came forth.” 39 And He was preaching in their synagogues, in all Galilee, and is casting out the demons, 40 and there comes to Him a leper, calling on Him, and kneeling to Him, and saying to Him, “If You may will, You are able to cleanse me.” 41 And Jesus having been moved with compassion, having stretched forth the hand, touched him and says to him, “I will, be cleansed”; 42 and He having spoken, immediately the leprosy went away from him, and he was cleansed. 43 And having sternly charged him, immediately He put him forth, 44 and says to him, “See [that] you may say nothing to anyone, but go away, show yourself to the priest, and bring near for your cleansing the things Moses directed, for a testimony to them.” 45 And he, having gone forth, began to proclaim much, and to spread the thing abroad, so that He was no longer able to openly enter into the city, but He was outside in desolate places, and they were coming to Him from every quarter.
Mark · Literal Standard Version
Mark 1 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Zebedee
A fisherman in whose boat his sons James and John were mending nets when Jesus called them; they left him in the boat with the hired men.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 4:21; Matthew 20:20; Mark 1:20
Cross references (44)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 John 5:11–12; Matthew 4:3; Matthew 3:17; John 20:31; Matthew 17:5
- 2 Malachi 3:1; Luke 1:76; Matthew 11:10; Matthew 3:1–11; Luke 1:15–17
- 3 Isaiah 40:3–5; Matthew 3:3; Luke 3:4–6; John 3:28–36; John 1:15
- 4 Acts 19:3–4; Matthew 3:6; Acts 13:24–25; John 3:23; Matthew 3:1–2
- 5 Leviticus 26:40–42; Acts 19:18; Matthew 3:5–6; Acts 2:38; Matthew 4:25
- 6 2 Kings 1:8; Leviticus 11:22; Zechariah 13:4; Matthew 3:4
- 7 Acts 13:25; Luke 3:16; John 1:27; Matthew 3:11; Luke 7:6–7
- 8 Acts 1:5; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Acts 19:4–6; Acts 2:4; Acts 10:45
- 9 Matthew 3:13–17; Matthew 2:23; Luke 3:21–22
- 10 John 1:31–34; Luke 3:22; Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 64:1; Matthew 3:16
- 11 Isaiah 42:1; Mark 9:7; Matthew 3:17; Psalm 2:7; Colossians 1:13
- 12 Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13
- 13 Hebrews 2:17–18; Hebrews 4:15; Exodus 34:28; Matthew 26:53; 1 Kings 19:5–8
- 14 Matthew 4:23; Matthew 4:12; Luke 8:1; Matthew 9:35; Ephesians 2:17
- 15 Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Acts 2:36–38; Acts 20:21; Ephesians 1:10
- 16 Matthew 4:18–22; John 1:40–42; John 6:8; Luke 6:14; Mark 3:16
- 17 Luke 5:10; Matthew 4:19–20; Acts 2:38–41; Ezekiel 47:10
- 18 Luke 18:28–30; Philippians 3:8; Luke 14:33; Matthew 19:27–30; Mark 10:28–31
- 19 Matthew 4:21; Acts 1:13; Mark 9:2; Acts 12:2; Mark 10:35
- 20 Luke 14:26; Mark 10:29; Matthew 10:37; Matthew 8:21–22; 2 Corinthians 5:16
- 21 Mark 6:2; Mark 1:39; Matthew 4:23; Acts 13:14–52; Acts 17:2
- 22 Matthew 7:28–29; Matthew 13:54; Luke 4:32; John 7:46; Luke 21:15
- 23 Mark 9:25; Mark 1:34; Mark 5:2; Matthew 12:43; Mark 7:25
- 24 James 2:19; Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:34; Acts 3:14; Revelation 3:7
- 25 Mark 1:34; Mark 3:11–12; Luke 4:41; Acts 16:17; Mark 9:25
- 26 Mark 9:26; Mark 9:20; Luke 11:22; Luke 9:39; Luke 9:42
- 27 Mark 7:37; Luke 9:1; Matthew 15:31; Matthew 9:33; Luke 4:36
- 28 Matthew 9:31; Luke 4:37; Micah 5:4; Matthew 4:24; Mark 1:45
- 29 Matthew 8:14–15; Luke 4:38–39; Mark 1:21; Luke 9:58; Mark 1:23
- 30 1 Corinthians 9:5; John 11:3; Mark 5:23; James 5:14–15
- 31 Acts 9:41; Psalm 103:1–3; Psalm 116:12; Luke 8:2–3; Mark 5:41
- 32 Matthew 8:16; Luke 4:40; Matthew 4:24; Mark 3:2; Mark 1:21
- 33 Mark 1:5; Acts 13:44
- 34 Luke 4:41; Mark 3:12; Acts 16:16–18; Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:25
- 35 Luke 6:12; Luke 5:16; Luke 22:39–46; Ephesians 6:18; Psalm 5:3
- 37 John 12:19; Zechariah 11:11; John 3:26; Mark 1:5; John 11:48
- 38 Luke 4:43; Isaiah 61:1–3; John 17:8; John 17:4; Luke 4:18–21
- 39 Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:21; Luke 4:41; Luke 4:43–44; Mark 7:30
- 40 Luke 5:12–14; Matthew 8:2–4; Leviticus 13:1–14; 2 Samuel 3:29; Matthew 17:14
- 41 Matthew 9:36; Hebrews 4:15; Luke 7:12–13; Mark 5:41; Hebrews 2:17
- 42 John 15:3; Matthew 15:28; Psalm 33:9; John 4:50–53; Mark 1:31
- 43 Matthew 9:30; Mark 3:12; Mark 7:36; Luke 8:56; Mark 5:43
- 44 Leviticus 14:1–32; Matthew 8:4; Luke 17:14; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Romans 15:4
- 45 Matthew 9:31; Mark 2:13; Psalm 77:11; John 6:2; Luke 5:15–17
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… Mark, the interpreter and follower of Peter, does thus commence his Gospel narrative: "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, …
The devils themselves knew this manifestation of God so well, that they said to the Lord though clothed with the infirmity of flesh, "What have we to do with Thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us before the time?" From these words, it is clear that they had great knowledge, and no charity.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Having then found Him in the wilderness, and in a pathless wilderness (for that the wilderness was such, Mark hath declared, saying, that He "was with the wild beasts" ), behold with how much craft he draws near, and wickedness; and for what sort of opportunity he watches.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
For it saith, The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, &c.: John came baptising in the wilderness.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
Wherefore Mark also says: "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets." Knowing one and the same Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was announced by the prophets, who from the fruit of David's body was Emmanuel, "the messenger of great counsel of the Father;" through whom God caused …