Mark 5:6-25

⁶Seeing Jesus from a distance he ran and kneeled in front of him.

⁷In a loud voice he cried out, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of Almighty God? Swear by God that you won't torture me!”

⁸For Jesus had already told the evil spirit to leave the man.

⁹Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion, because we are many!” he replied.

¹⁰He also repeatedly pleaded with Jesus not to send them a long way away.

¹¹A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside nearby.

¹²The evil spirits pleaded with him, “Send us into the pigs so we can enter them.”

¹³Jesus allowed them to do this. The evil spirits left the man and went into the pigs. The whole herd, about two thousand, rushed down the steep cliff into the sea and drowned.

¹⁴The pig-keepers ran away, and spread the news all over town and in the countryside. People came out to see what had happened.

¹⁵When they found Jesus they saw the man who had been demon-possessed sitting there, dressed, and in his right mind—the one who had the legion of evil spirits—and they became frightened!

¹⁶Then those who had seen what had happened to the man who had been demon-possessed and the pigs told the others.

¹⁷They began pleading with Jesus to leave their district.

¹⁸As Jesus climbed into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him.

¹⁹But Jesus refused, telling him, “Go home to your own people, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has been merciful to you.”

²⁰So the man went on his way and began to tell the people of the Ten Cities everything Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed.

²¹Jesus went back again by boat to the other side of the lake where a large crowd gathered around him at the shore.

²²A synagogue leader, a man named Jairus, came to him. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet

²³and pleaded with him, saying, “My little daughter is about to die. Please come and place your hands on her so she may be healed and live.”

²⁴So Jesus went with him. Everybody followed, crowding and jostling him.

²⁵A woman was there who had been ill from bleeding for twelve years.