Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech: Mark | Page 3

(Now John's disciples and those of the Pharisees were keeping a fast.) And they came and asked Him, "How is it that John's disciples and those of the Pharisees are fasting, and yours are not?" 002:019 "Can a wedding party fast while the bridegroom is among them?" replied Jesus. "So long as they have the bridegroom with them, fasting is impossible. 002:020 But a time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast. 002:021 No one mends an old garment with a piece of unshrunk cloth. Otherwise, the patch put on would tear away from it-- the new from the old--and a worse hole would be made. 002:022 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wine would burst the skins, and both wine and skins would be lost. New wine needs fresh skins!" 002:023 One Sabbath He was walking through the wheatfields when His disciples began to pluck the ears of wheat as they went. 002:024 So the Pharisees said to Him, "Look! why are they doing what on the Sabbath is unlawful?" 002:025 "Have you never read," Jesus replied, "what David did when the necessity arose and he and his men were hungry: 002:026 how he entered the house of God in the High-priesthood of Abiathar, and ate the Presented Loaves--which none but the priests are allowed to eat--and gave some to his men also?" 002:027 And Jesus said to them: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; 002:028 so that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." 003:001 At another time, when He went to the synagogue, there was a man there with one arm shrivelled up. 003:002 They closely watched Him to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath--so as to have a charge to bring against Him. 003:003 "Come forward," said He to the man with the shrivelled arm. 003:004 Then He asked them, "Are we allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil? to save a life, or to destroy one?" They remained silent. 003:005 Grieved and indignant at the hardening of their hearts, He looked round on them with anger, and said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." He stretched it out, and the arm was completely restored. 003:006 But no sooner had the Pharisees left the synagogue than they held a consultation with the Herodians against Jesus, to devise some means of destroying Him. 003:007 Accordingly Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the Lake, and a vast crowd of people from Galilee followed Him; 003:008 and from Judaea and Jerusalem and Idumaea and from beyond the Jordan and from the district of Tyre and Sidon there came to Him a vast crowd, hearing of all that He was doing. 003:009 So He gave directions to His disciples to keep a small boat in constant attendance on Him because of the throng-- to prevent their crushing Him. 003:010 For He had cured many of the people, so that all who had any ailments pressed upon Him, to touch Him. 003:011 And the foul spirits, whenever they saw Him, threw themselves down at His feet, screaming out: "You are the Son of God." 003:012 But He many a time checked them, forbidding them to say who He was. 003:013 Then He went up the hill; and those whom He Himself chose He called, and they came to Him. 003:014 He appointed twelve of them, that they might be with Him, and that He might also send them to proclaim His Message, 003:015 with authority to expel the demons. 003:016 These twelve were Simon (to whom He gave the surname of Peter), 003:017 James the son of Zabdi and John the brother of James (these two He surnamed Boanerges, that is `Sons of Thunder'), 003:018 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaean, 003:019 and Judas Iscariot, the man who also betrayed Him. 003:020 And He went into a house. But again the crowd assembled, so that there was no opportunity for them even to snatch a meal. 003:021 Hearing of this, His relatives came to seize Him by force, for they said, "He is out of his mind." 003:022 The Scribes, too, who had come down from Jerusalem said, "He has Baal-zebul in him; and it is by the power of the Prince of the demons that he expels the demons." 003:023 So He called them to Him, and using figurative language He appealed to them, saying, "How is it possible for Satan to expel Satan? 003:024 For if civil war breaks out in a kingdom, nothing can make that kingdom last; 003:025 and if a family splits into parties, that family cannot continue. 003:026