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MARK · Trinity Bible Version

Mark 16

The full text of Mark 16 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.

All of Mark KJV

1 When the Sabbath had ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to go and anoint him.

2 Very early on the first day of the week, after the sun had risen, they come to the tomb.

3 They were saying to themselves, "Who will roll the stone away from the door of the tomb for us?"

4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away — for it was very large.

5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right, clothed in a white robe, and they were overcome with awe.

6 But he said to them, "Don't be alarmed. You're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.

7 But go, tell his disciples — and Peter — 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, as he told you.'

8 They went out and fled from the tomb, trembling and beside themselves. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid—

9* When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, the one from whom he had cast out seven demons.

10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

11 When they heard that he was alive and that she had seen him, they would not believe.

12 Later, he appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking, on their way out into the countryside.

13 These also went and told the rest, but they didn't believe them either.

14 Later he appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were eating, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen him risen.

15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to all creation.

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever refuses to believe will be condemned.

17 These signs will go with those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new languages;

18 they will pick up snakes; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and the sick will recover."

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.

20 Then they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through the signs that followed.

This ending (Mark 16:9—20) is not found in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts.

Translation notes (34)
  1. Mark 16:1a The phrase 'Mary the mother of James' translates the Greek Maria hē tou Iakōbou, which literally means 'Mary the [one] of James.' She is identified from Mark 15:40 as the mother of James the younger.
  2. Mark 16:1b The Greek word aromata (ἀρώματα) refers to aromatic substances used in Jewish burial preparation, not embalming.
  3. Mark 16:2a The Greek phrase 'the first of the sabbaths' is a Semitic idiom meaning the first day of the week.
  4. Mark 16:2b Some early manuscripts (D, Θ, f13) read the present participle 'while the sun was rising,' which is likely a scribal change to ease the tension with the phrase 'very early.'
  5. Mark 16:2c The aorist participle most naturally means 'the sun having risen,' which creates an unresolved tension with the phrase 'very early.' The original Greek text preserves this tension (compare John 20:1, 'while it was still dark').
  6. Mark 16:5a The Greek word exethambēthēsan (ἐξεθαμβήθησαν) is an intensified form of the word thambeō, meaning overwhelming astonishment that shades into dread. Mark uses this group of related verbs at key moments of divine presence (9:15; 14:33; 16:5–6).
  7. Mark 16:5b Mark's earliest manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) end at 16:8. The longer ending (16:9–20) is placed in brackets in the critical Greek text. Verse 5 itself is firmly supported by the manuscripts.
  8. Mark 16:6a This can also be translated 'He has risen.' The Greek word ēgerthē (ἠγέρθη) is a past tense verb in the passive voice; it can mean 'was raised by God' (where God is understood as the one who performed the action) or it can function intransitively, meaning 'rose' (where the subject performed the action itself).
  9. Mark 16:7a The Greek word proagei (προάγει) can mean 'goes before' (in the sense of a shepherd leading his flock; compare Mark 14:28; John 10:4) or 'will arrive ahead of you.' Both translations are grammatically possible.
  10. Mark 16:8a Mark's earliest and most reliable manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus) end at verse 8. Four different endings are found in the manuscript tradition: (1) an abrupt ending at verse 8 (in manuscripts such as א and B); (2) the 'Shorter Ending' alone (in manuscript k); (3) both the Shorter and Longer Endings together (in L, Ψ, 083, 099, 0112, 579); and (4) the 'Longer Ending' (verses 9–20) alone (in A, C, D, W, Θ, and the majority of manuscripts), plus the Freer Logion in manuscript W. The Shorter Ending (set here in double brackets) and the Longer Ending are widely considered to be later additions by scribes.
  11. Mark 16:8b The Greek phrase ephobounto gar (ἐφοβοῦντο γάρ), meaning 'for they were afraid,' ends the sentence with the particle gar (a small, untranslated word that adds emphasis or connection), which is grammatically abrupt and unusual. The em-dash in the text signals this unfinished quality; many scholars believe verse 8 is Mark's deliberate, jarring close.
  12. Mark 16:8c The Greek word ekstasis (ἔκστασις) literally means 'displacement' or 'standing outside oneself,' referring to an overwhelming astonishment bordering on terror, not mild confusion. Compare Mark 5:42.
  13. Mark 16:8d The Greek phrase tois peri ton Petron (τοῖς περὶ τὸν Πέτρον) is a common Greek expression from that period, meaning 'Peter and those with him.'
  14. Mark 16:9a Mark 16:9–20, known as the Longer Ending, is absent from the earliest Greek manuscripts (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus), from the Sinaitic Syriac, and from the oldest Armenian and Georgian ancient copies; Eusebius and Jerome reported it was missing from nearly all Greek copies known to them. Other endings are also found, including a Shorter Ending (L, Ψ, 083, 099, 579, k), a combined Shorter and Longer reading, and the Freer Logion inserted after verse 14 in Codex W. The vocabulary and style of verses 9–20 differ noticeably from Mark 1:1–16:8 (for example, prōtē sabbatou (πρώτῃ σαββάτου) here versus tē mia tōn sabbatōn (τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων) in 16:2). The critical Greek text and UBS5 place the entire passage in double brackets.
  15. Mark 16:10a Mark 16:9–20, known as the Longer Ending, is absent from the earliest manuscripts (for example, Sinaiticus and Vaticanus); see the note at 16:9 for more information.
  16. Mark 16:11a This verse is part of Mark 16:9–20, which is the disputed longer ending; it is absent from manuscripts ℵ and B and is marked in other ancient copies. See the note at 16:9 for more information.
  17. Mark 16:12a Verses 9–20, known as the Longer Ending of Mark, are absent from the earliest Greek ancient copies (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) and the Sinaitic Syriac; Eusebius and Jerome reported that most copies of their day lacked them. Several manuscripts provide a shorter alternate ending. This verse in particular appears to summarize the Emmaus account (Luke 24:13–35) and is widely regarded as part of a secondary ending.
  18. Mark 16:12b This can also be translated 'in a different guise.' The Greek word morphē (μορφή) means outward appearance or shape; the story's concern is about recognition (compare Luke 24:16), not a fundamental change in Jesus's nature or being.
  19. Mark 16:13a Mark 16:9–20, known as the Longer Ending, is absent from the earliest Greek manuscripts (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus). The manuscript tradition preserves multiple endings: the abrupt ending at 16:8, a Shorter Ending, the Longer Ending (16:9–20), and the Longer Ending with the Freer Logion (found in manuscript W). The critical Greek text prints 16:9–20 in double brackets.
  20. Mark 16:14a Mark 16:9–20, known as the Longer Ending, is absent from the earliest Greek manuscripts (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) and is regarded by most scholars who study ancient texts as a later addition.
  21. Mark 16:14b After this verse, Codex Washingtonianus (W), a manuscript from the 4th–5th century, contains an additional saying of Jesus known as the Freer Logion. This saying was also cited by Jerome (Adv. Pelag. 2.15).
  22. Mark 16:15a Mark 16:9–20, known as the 'Longer Ending,' is not found in the earliest Greek manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus), nor in the Sinaitic Syriac, and several Armenian and Georgian manuscripts. Other manuscripts (L Ψ 083 099 274mg) include a 'Shorter Ending,' and Codex W contains an expansion known as the Freer Logion. Eusebius and Jerome reported that it was absent from most Greek copies known to them.
  23. Mark 16:15b This can also be translated 'to every creature.' The Greek phrase is pasē tē ktisei, and the Greek word ktisis can refer to the entire created order or to individual creatures.
  24. Mark 16:16a Mark 16:9–20, known as the Longer Ending, is absent from the earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus) and from the Sinaitic Syriac. The critical Greek text (NA28) and UBS5 print it in double brackets, indicating that the editors judge it a later addition. Eusebius and Jerome reported that it was missing from nearly all accurate Greek copies known to them, and many scholars regard verses 9–20 as not original.
  25. Mark 16:16b The Greek word apistēsas (from apisteō) carries an active sense, meaning 'refuse to believe' or 'disbelieve,' rather than simply an absence of faith. Also, the negative part of the sentence does not repeat 'and is baptized'; this difference is present in the original Greek.
  26. Mark 16:17a This verse is part of Mark's 'Longer Ending' (16:9–20), which is absent from the earliest and most reliable manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus) and is bracketed as not original in the critical Greek text (NA28). Eusebius and Jerome reported that it was missing from nearly all Greek copies known to them. Some traditions either omit or bracket the entire passage.
  27. Mark 16:17b The phrase 'new languages' renders the primary meaning of the Greek glōssais...kainais. While the traditional 'new tongues' preserves a technical New Testament term, it is specialized jargon. Acts 2:4–11 uses the Greek word glōssais to refer to known human languages.
  28. Mark 16:18a Mark 16:9–20, known as the Longer Ending, is absent from the earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus), the Sinaitic Syriac, and the older Armenian and Georgian witnesses, and its authenticity is questioned by Eusebius and Jerome. However, it is present in manuscripts A, C, D, W, and the majority of later manuscripts. Other endings also exist, such as the Shorter Ending and the Freer Logion. Most modern critical editions either bracket or footnote verses 9–20.
  29. Mark 16:18b This can also be translated 'they will take up serpents.' The Greek verb airō can mean either 'lift/handle' or 'take away/remove.' The original Greek does not specify the instrument, so it does not say 'with their hands.'
  30. Mark 16:18c The phrase 'anything deadly' translates the Greek thanasimon ti. In ancient Greek medical writings, this word often specifically refers to deadly poison.
  31. Mark 16:19a Mark 16:9–20, known as the Longer Ending, is absent from the earliest Greek manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus) and from most manuscripts known to Eusebius and Jerome. Some manuscripts preserve a Shorter Ending, while others include both. The vocabulary and style of this section differ from the rest of Mark. The critical Greek text (NA28) brackets this section, and most modern critical editions judge it to be a later addition.
  32. Mark 16:20a Mark 16:9–20, known as the Longer Ending, is absent from the earliest Greek manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus). Other manuscripts (L, Ψ, 083, 099, 579) contain a Shorter Ending, sometimes alongside the Longer Ending, and Codex W inserts the Freer Logion. Eusebius and Jerome noted its absence from nearly all Greek copies known to them. Most modern textual critics regard verses 9–20 as a later addition, though it is rendered here as part of the received tradition.
  33. Mark 16:20b Some manuscripts (A C² D K W Θ f¹ f¹³ 33, and later Byzantine manuscripts) add 'Amen' at the end, while others within the Longer Ending tradition (C* L) omit it. It is omitted in this translation.
  34. Mark 16:20c The phrase 'the Lord worked with them' translates the Greek tou kyriou synergountos. This Greek construction, called a genitive absolute, does not explicitly state who the Lord was working with, so 'with them' is supplied for clear English meaning.
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