Mark 5:1-20 - A Demon-Possessed Gerasene Healed

¹ And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. ² And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him from the tombs, ³ a man with an impure spirit, who kept among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains: ⁴ for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been pulled asunder by him, and the fetters broken; and no man could tame him: ⁵ and he was always night and day upon the hills and among the sepulchres bawling, and gashing himself with stones.

⁶ But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him, ⁷ and crying out with a loud voice said, Jesus thou Son of the most high God, what have I to do with thee? I adjure thee by God, that thou wouldst not torment me: ⁸ (for He said to him, Thou impure spirit, come out of the man.)

⁹ And He asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. ¹⁰ And he earnestly intreated Him, that He would not send them out of that country.

¹¹ Now there was a great herd of swine feeding upon the mountains: ¹² and all the demons intreated Him, saying, Send us to the swine, that we may enter into them. ¹³ And immediately Jesus permitted them: and the impure spirits went out of the man, and entered into the swine; and the herd (which were about two thousand,) ran violently down a precipice into the sea, and were suffocated. ¹⁴ And they that were feeding the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what was done: ¹⁵ and they come to Jesus, and see the demoniac, who had been possessed by the legion, sitting and clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ¹⁶ And when those that saw it told them what had happened to the demoniac, ¹⁷ and concerning the swine, they intreated Him to depart from their borders.

¹⁸ And as He went into the ship, the demoniac intreated Him that he might be with Him: ¹⁹ but Jesus did not permit him; but saith to him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee: ²⁰ and he departed, and published in Decapolis, how great things Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.

²⁶ And they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. ²⁷ And when He was landed, there met Him a man out of the city, who had been possessed by demons a long while, and wore no clothes, and abode in no dwelling but the tombs. ²⁸ But when he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down to Him, and said with a loud voice, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I beseech thee, do not torment me. ²⁹ (For He commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man; which had oftentimes seized him so violently, that tho' he was bound with chains and fetters, yet he broke the bands asunder, and was driven by the demon into those lonely places.)

³⁰ And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? and he said, Legion: because many demons were entred into him. ³¹ And they besought Him that He would not command them to go into the abyss:

³² but as there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain, they intreated Him that He would suffer them to enter into them, and He permitted them. ³³ So the demons went out of the man and entred into the swine: and the herd ran violently down the hill into the lake and were drowned. ³⁴ And when those that looked after them saw what was done they fled; and went and told it in city and country: ³⁵ and the people went out to see what was done, and came to Jesus; and found the man, from whom the demons were gone out, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind: ³⁶ and they were afraid, for those that saw it told them how the demoniac was healed. ³⁷ And all the people of the country round about the Gadarenes desired Him to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear: and He went into the ship and returned.

³⁸ Now the man from whom the demons were gone out, prayed Him to let him be with Him: but Jesus sent him away, ³⁹ saying, Return home, and relate what God hath done for thee. So he went away publishing through the whole city what great things Jesus had done to him.