Mark 3
The full text of Mark 3 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 He went into the synagogue again, and a man with a withered hand was there.
2 They were watching him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might bring a charge against him.
3 He said to the man with the withered hand, "Stand up here in front of everyone."
4 And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent.
5 He looked around at them with anger, grieving with them over their hardened hearts, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was made whole.
6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began plotting with the Herodians how to kill him.
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. People also came from Judea,
8 and from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the region around Tyre and Sidon. A huge crowd came to him when they heard all that he was doing.
9 He told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, because of the crowd, so they wouldn't crush him.
10 For he had healed many, so all who had afflictions were throwing themselves at him to touch him.
11 The unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, would fall down before him and cry out, "You are the Son of God!"
12 He sternly warned them not to make him known.
13 Jesus went up on the mountain and called to himself those he wanted, and they came to him.
14 He appointed twelve so they would be with him and so he could send them out to proclaim,
15 and with authority to drive out demons.
16 He appointed the twelve. To Simon he gave the name Peter,
17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means "Sons of Thunder");
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean,
19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
20 He comes home, and again a crowd gathers, so that he and his disciples cannot even eat bread.
21 When his own people heard it, they went out to restrain him, for they were saying, "He has lost his senses."
22 And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem kept saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and, "By the prince of demons he drives out demons."
23 He called them to him and began to speak to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan has risen against himself and is divided, he cannot stand — his end has come.
27 But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man; then he will plunder the house.
28 Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven all their sins and every blasphemy they speak, however much they blaspheme,
29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit has no forgiveness, ever — they are guilty of an everlasting sin.
30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
31 Then his mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.
32 A crowd was sitting around him when they said to him, "Look—your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you."
33 He answered them, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"
34 Looking around at those seated in a circle around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.
35 For whoever does what God wants — this person is my brother and sister and mother.
Translation notes (26)
- Mark 3:2a The Greek phrase tois sabbasin is plural in form, but it is an idiom that refers to a single Sabbath day, as is common in the Synoptic Gospels.
- Mark 3:2b This can also be translated 'were spying on him.' The Greek verb paratēreō consistently carries the sense of hostile surveillance in the New Testament (Luke 6:7; 14:1; 20:20; Acts 9:24).
- Mark 3:5a Some later manuscripts add 'as healthy as the other' (harmonizing to Matt 12:13). Earliest witnesses (א B L W) omit.
- Mark 3:5b The Greek word pōrōsis means a callus or hardening, referring to tissue that has lost feeling. Mark uses this word again to describe the disciples in 6:52 and 8:17.
- Mark 3:6a This can also be translated 'destroy him.' The Greek word apolesōsin has the broader meaning 'destroy' or 'do away with,' but in the Synoptic Gospels, when referring to plots against Jesus, its dominant meaning is 'kill.'
- Mark 3:10a The Greek word mastigas literally means 'scourges,' but in Koine Greek it is used figuratively for grave or chronic afflictions (compare Mark 5:29, 34).
- Mark 3:14a Some early manuscripts (ℵ B C* Δ Θ) add the phrase 'whom he also named apostles' after 'twelve'; however, the later Byzantine and Majority text omit this phrase. The critical Greek text (NA28) brackets the longer reading, indicating its uncertain originality.
- Mark 3:14b Greek ἐποίησεν is literally 'made,' echoing LXX language for divine appointment of leaders (cf. 1 Sam 12:6 LXX).
- Mark 3:15a Later manuscripts (A C² D L W Θ f¹ f¹³ and the Byzantine majority) add 'to heal diseases, and' before 'to drive out demons' (as in the King James Version). The shorter reading, followed here, is supported by early manuscripts (ℵ B C* Δ 565 700 892) and adopted by the critical Greek text (NA28/SBLGNT).
- Mark 3:16a The critical Greek text (NA28/SBLGNT) includes the phrase 'He appointed the twelve,' which is found in early manuscripts (א B C* Δ). However, the Byzantine tradition, followed by the King James Version, omits this phrase.
- Mark 3:16b 'Peter' (Πέτρος) means 'rock'; equivalent to Aramaic 'Cephas' (cf. John 1:42). The Greek idiom is literally 'placed a name upon Simon,' echoing biblical naming acts (Gen 17:5).
- Mark 3:17a Boanerges is a transliteration of a Semitic word, which Mark explains as 'Sons of Thunder.'
- Mark 3:18a The Greek word Kananaion (Cananaean) transliterates the Aramaic term for 'zealot' (compare Luke 6:15); it does not refer to the region of Canaan.
- Mark 3:20a The Greek word autous, translated 'them,' refers to Jesus and his disciples, who are named in 3:13–19.
- Mark 3:20b The phrase 'eat bread' is a Semitic idiom for having a meal; it is rendered literally here to preserve Mark's recurring 'bread' motif (compare 6:31; 6:37; 7:2; 8:14).
- Mark 3:21a The Greek phrase hoi par' autou, literally 'those from him,' is a flexible idiom that can refer to relatives, household members, or close associates. In verse 31, Mark specifically names 'his mother and brothers.'
- Mark 3:21b This can also be translated, 'He is beside himself.' The Greek word exestē means either a pathological mental derangement or being overcome with amazement, as seen in Mark 2:12, 5:42, and 6:51.
- Mark 3:21c This can also be translated, 'for people were saying.' The subject of the verb, which describes an ongoing past action, may be the family themselves or others whose report prompted the family to act.
- Mark 3:22a The Greek literally says, 'He has Beelzebul,' which is an idiom for demonic possession.
- Mark 3:22b Regarding the name Beelzebul, Greek manuscripts read Beelzeboul, while the Latin Vulgate and Syriac translations read 'Beelzebub' (compare 2 Kings 1:2). The origin of the word is disputed.
- Mark 3:28a The Greek literally says, 'the sons of men,' which is a Semitic idiom meaning humanity.
- Mark 3:28b The Greek repeats the root word, saying 'blasphemies... they blaspheme,' which sets up the contrast in verse 29.
- Mark 3:29a Some of the earliest manuscripts (א B C* L Δ Θ) read aiōniou hamartēmatos, meaning 'an everlasting sin.' The later Byzantine manuscripts, which form the basis for the King James Version, read aiōniou kriseōs, meaning 'eternal judgment.'
- Mark 3:29b The Greek literally says, 'has no forgiveness into the age.' The Greek text uses related words, aiōna ('age') and aiōniou ('age-lasting'), an echo rendered here as 'ever... everlasting.'
- Mark 3:32a The critical Greek text reads 'your mother and your brothers.' Other manuscripts (A D Γ ƒ¹ ƒ¹³ and most later manuscripts) add 'and your sisters,' which is followed by the King James Version; however, some early manuscripts (ℵ B C K L W Δ Θ) omit this phrase. The longer reading may be an assimilation, meaning it was changed to match verse 35.
- Mark 3:35a This can also be translated, 'the will of God.' The Greek to thelēma tou theou refers to what God wills or desires to happen.
About this translation
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