8 Soon after this Jesus traveled through the towns and villages, publicizing and preaching the Gospel about the Kingdom of God.[383] With him were the twelve disciples, 2 and a number of women who had been healed from evil spirits and diseases: Mary called Magdalene from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s administrator, Susanna, and many other women who helped by providing support from what they owned.
    4 A large crowd gathered from many towns to see Jesus. He spoke to them using a parable. [384]  5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell on the path where people walked on it, and birds ate it up. 6 Other seed fell on rocky soil, and when it sprouted it dried up for lack of moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.  8 Other seed fell on good soil, and grew up and produced a harvest a hundred times as much.” When he told them this parable, Jesus would customarily shout out:[385] “Whoever has ears to hear, listen!”
    9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 Jesus replied, “You have been given insight to know the mysteries[386] of the Kingdom of God, but the rest have parables, so that, ‘Seeing, they do not really see; and hearing, they do not really understand.’
    11 “This is what the parable means: The seed is the Gospel-word of God. [387]  12 The seeds on the path are like those who listen, but then the Devil comes[388] and takes away the Gospel-word from their minds, so that they do not believe it and so are not saved. [389]  13 The seeds on the rocky soil are those who listen and receive the Gospel-word with joy, but they do not have any roots. They believe for a while,[390] but when difficult times come they give up.  14 The seeds that fell among thorns are those who listen, but they are choked by life’s worries, wealth, and pleasure, and they produce no fruit. 15 But the seeds in the good soil are the ones who listen to the Gospel-word with an honest and good heart. They hold onto it and produce fruit with perseverance.
    16 “No one lights a lamp and covers it with a bucket or puts it under a bed. Instead you put it on a stand, so that anyone who comes in may see the light.  17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed; there is nothing secret that will not become known and be made visible.  18 So take care how you listen. To whoever has, more will be given; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”
    19 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived, but they could not get through the crowd to him. 20 Jesus was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”  21 Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are those who listen to the Gospel-word of God[391] and do it.”
    22 One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples. “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake,” he said to them, and they set off. 23 As they were sailing along Jesus fell asleep, and a fierce gale came down on the lake. The boat was swamped and they were in danger of sinking.  24 They went to Jesus and woke him up, saying, “Master, master, we are going to drown!” Jesus got up and reprimanded the wind and the stormy waves; they stopped and it became calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked them. Afraid and amazed, they said to each other, “Who is this, who commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”
    26 They sailed to the Gerasene region, across from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped out onto the shore, he was met by a demon-influenced man from the town there. He had not worn clothes or lived in a house for a long time. Instead he lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell at his feet, and shouted, “What do we have to do with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Do not torture me, I am begging you!”  29 For Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and even though he was guarded and tied with chains and shackles, he would tear apart the chains and be driven by the demon into the desert. 30 “What is your name?” Jesus asked him. “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had entered him. 31 The demons pleaded with Jesus not to order them into the abyss.
    32 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons begged him for permission to go into the pigs. He gave them permission. 33 The demons left the man and went into the pigs. The herd stampeded down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
    34 The herdsmen who looked after the pigs ran away and reported what happened in the town and the countryside.  35 The people came to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet clothed and in his right mind, they were alarmed. 36 Those who had seen what happened told them how the demon-influenced man had been healed. 37 Then everyone from the whole Gerasene region asked Jesus to leave because they were gripped by terrible fear, so Jesus got into a boat and went back. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged Jesus to let him come along, but Jesus sent him back.  39 “Return home and describe what great things God has done for you,” he said to him. So he went away, announcing to the whole town what great things Jesus had done for him.
    40 When Jesus returned across the lake, a crowd of people welcomed him, because they had all been waiting for him. 41 A man named Jairus, who was a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He begged him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, about twelve years old, was dying. As Jesus went, the crowds were pressing against him.
    43 A woman who had been sick with bleeding for twelve years was there. No one had been able to heal her. 44 She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his clothes, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everybody denied it. “Master,” Peter said, “people are crowding around you and pushing up against you.”  46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, because I know power went out from me.” 47 When the woman realized that she had not escaped notice, she went forward trembling, and fell down before him. She explained in front of everybody why she had touched Jesus, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
    49 While he was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said, “Your daughter has died. Do not bother the teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus heard this and said, “Do not be afraid. Only believe, and she will be healed.” 51 When Jesus came to the house he did not let anyone else enter except Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother. 52 Everyone was weeping and mourning for her, but Jesus said, “Stop weeping, because she is not dead, but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, because they knew she was dead. 54 But Jesus held her hand and said loudly, “My child, get up!” 55 Her breath of life returned, and she got up immediately. Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astounded, but Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone what had happened.