Luk 8 | ESV | STEP | Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages , proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God . And the twelve were with him ,

1 Soon afterward he went on ^athrough cities and villages, proclaiming and ^bbringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also ^csome women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: ^dMary, called Magdalene, ^efrom whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and ^fJoanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them ^{▼▼Some manuscripts him} out of their means.

The Parable of the Sower

4 ^hAnd when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 5 ⁱ“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, ^jit withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among ^kthorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded ^la hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, ^m“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, ⁿ“To you it has been given to know ^othe secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so ^pthat ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 ^qNow the parable is this: The seed is ^rthe word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not ^sbelieve and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it ^twith joy. But these have no root; they ^ubelieve for a while, and in time of testing ^vfall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but ^was they go on their way they are choked by the ^xcares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and ^ybear fruit ^zwith patience.

A Lamp Under a Jar

16 ^aa, ^ab“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17 ^acFor nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 ^adTake care then how you hear, ^aefor to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

19 ^afThen his mother and ^aghis brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” 21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those ^ahwho hear the word of God and do it.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

22 ^aiOne day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of ^ajthe lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on ^akthe lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and ^alrebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, ^amand there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they ^anwere afraid, and they ^aomarveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that ^aphe commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

26 ^aqThen they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts Gadarenes; others Gergesenes; also verse 37} which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus ^{▼▼Greek he; also verses 38, 42} had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house ^atbut among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he ^aucried out and fell down before him and said ^avwith a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, ^awSon of ^axthe Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon ^ayinto the desert.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, ^az“Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into ^bathe abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into ^bbthe lake and drowned.

34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting ^bcat the feet of Jesus, ^bdclothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed ^{▼▼Greek daimonizomai; elsewhere rendered oppressed by demons} man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes ^bfasked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and ^bgdeclare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’s Daughter

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd ^bhwelcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 ^biAnd there came a man named Jairus, who was ^bja ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had ^bkan only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people ^blpressed around him. 43 And there was a woman ^bmwho had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her ^bnliving on physicians, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts omit and though she had spent all her living on physicians,} she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched ^bpthe fringe of his garment, and ^bqimmediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add and those who were with him} said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that ^bspower has gone out from me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, ^btyour faith has made you well; ^bugo in peace.”

49 While he was still speaking, someone from ^bvthe ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; ^bwdo not trouble ^bxthe Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except ^byPeter and ^bzJohn and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and ^camourning for her, but he ^cbsaid, “Do not weep, for ^ccshe is not dead but ^cdsleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But ^cetaking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, ^cfarise.” 55 And ^cgher spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but ^chhe charged them to tell no one what had happened.