Mark 3 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Another time Jesus went into the synagogue. {\cf2\super [40]} In the synagogue there was a man with a crippled hand.

² Some Jews there were watching Jesus closely. They were waiting to see if he would heal the man on a Sabbath day. {\cf2\super [41]} They wanted to see Jesus do something wrong so that they could accuse him.

³ Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Stand up here so that all the people can see you.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked the people, “Which thing is right to do on the Sabbath day: to do good, or to do evil? Is it right to save a life or to destroy one?” The people said nothing to answer Jesus.

⁵ Jesus looked at the people. He was angry. But he felt very sad because they were stubborn. Jesus said to the man, “Let me see your hand.” The man put his hand out for Jesus, and it was healed.

⁶ Then the Pharisees {\cf2\super [42]} left and made plans with the Herodians {\cf2\super [43]} about a way to kill Jesus.

⁷ Jesus went away with his followers to the lake. Many people from Galilee followed him.

⁸ Many, many people also came from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from the area across the Jordan River, and from the area around Tyre and Sidon. {\cf2\super [44]} These people came because they heard about all the things Jesus was doing.

⁹ Jesus saw the many people. So he told his followers to get a small boat and make it ready for him. Jesus wanted the boat so that the many, many people would not push against him.

¹⁰ Jesus had healed many people. So all the sick people were pushing toward him to touch him.

¹¹ Some people had evil spirits \{from the devil\} inside them. When the evil spirits saw Jesus, they bowed before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!”

¹² But Jesus commanded the spirits strongly not to tell people who he was.

¹³ Then Jesus went up on a hill. Jesus told some men to come to him. These were the men Jesus wanted. These men went up to Jesus.

¹⁴ Jesus chose twelve men and called them apostles. {\cf2\super [45]} Jesus wanted these twelve men to be with him, and he wanted to send them to other places to tell people \{God’s message\}.

¹⁵ And Jesus wanted these men to have the power to force demons {\cf2\super [46]} out of people.

¹⁶ These are the names of the twelve men Jesus chose: Simon (Jesus gave him the name Peter);

¹⁷ James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Jesus gave them the name Boanerges. This name means “Sons of Thunder”);

¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, {\cf2\super [47]}

¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot. Judas is the one that gave Jesus \{to his enemies\}.

²⁰ Then Jesus went home. But again many people gathered there. There were so many people that Jesus and his followers could not eat.

²¹ Jesus’ family heard about all these things. They went to get him because people said that Jesus was crazy.

²² And the teachers of the law from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebul (the devil) is living inside him (Jesus)! He uses power from the ruler of demons {\cf2\super [48]} to force demons out of people.”

²³ So Jesus called them together and talked to them using some stories. Jesus said, “Satan will not force his own demons {\cf2\super [49]} out of people.

²⁴ A kingdom that fights against itself cannot continue.

²⁵ And a family that is divided cannot succeed.

²⁶ And if Satan is against himself and fights against his own people, then he cannot continue. That would be the end of Satan.

²⁷ If a person wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things, first the person must tie the strong man. Then the person can steal the things from the strong man’s house.

²⁸ I tell you the truth. All sins that people do can be forgiven. And all the bad things people say against God can be forgiven.

²⁹ But any person that says bad things against (refuses to accept) the Holy Spirit {\cf2\super [50]} will never be forgiven. He will always be guilty of that sin.”

³⁰ Jesus said this because the teachers of the law said that Jesus had an evil spirit (devil) inside him.

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came. They stood outside and sent a person in to tell Jesus to come out.

³² Many people were sitting around Jesus. They said to him, “Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside.”

³³ Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”

³⁴ Then Jesus looked at those people sitting around him. He said, “These people are my mother and my brothers!

³⁵ My true brother and sister and mother are those people that do the things God wants.”