Dual Panel1So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the land of the Gerasenes.
2Just as Jesus was climbing from the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit ran out from a cemetery to meet him.
3This man lived among the tombs and could not be restrained, even with a chain.
4Whenever he was put into chains and shackles––as he often was––he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to control him.
5All day long and throughout the night, he would wander among the tombs and in the hills, screaming and hitting himself with stones.
6When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him. He ran to meet Jesus and fell down before him.
7He gave a terrible scream, shrieking, "Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God’s sake, don’t torture me!"
8For Jesus had already said to the spirit, "Come out of the man, you evil spirit."
9Then Jesus asked, "What is your name?" And the spirit replied, "Legion, because there are many of us here inside this man."
10Then the spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.
11There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby.
12"Send us into those pigs," the evil spirits begged.
13Jesus gave them permission. So the evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of two thousand pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake, where they drowned.
14The herdsmen fled to the nearby city and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. Everyone rushed out to see for themselves.
15A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, but they were frightened when they saw the man who had been demon possessed, for he was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane.
16Those who had seen what happened to the man and to the pigs told everyone about it,
17and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.
18When Jesus got back into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go, too.
19But Jesus said, "No, go home to your friends, and tell them what wonderful things the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been."
20So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.
21When Jesus went back across to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him on the shore.
22A leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, came and fell down before him,
23pleading with him to heal his little daughter. "She is about to die," he said in desperation. "Please come and place your hands on her; heal her so she can live."
24Jesus went with him, and the crowd thronged behind.
25And there was a woman in the crowd who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years.
26She had suffered a great deal from many doctors through the years and had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she was worse.
27She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched the fringe of his robe.
28For she thought to herself, "If I can just touch his clothing, I will be healed."
29Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel that she had been healed!
30Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
31His disciples said to him, "All this crowd is pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’"
32But he kept on looking around to see who had done it.
33Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and told him what she had done.
34And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. You have been healed."
35While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from Jairus’s home with the message, "Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now."
36But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, "Don’t be afraid. Just trust me."
37Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter and James and John.
38When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the weeping and wailing.
39He went inside and spoke to the people. "Why all this weeping and commotion?" he asked. "The child isn’t dead; she is only asleep."
40The crowd laughed at him, but he told them all to go outside. Then he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying.
41Holding her hand, he said to her, "Get up, little girl!"
42And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! Her parents were absolutely overwhelmed.
43Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what had happened, and he told them to give her something to eat.