20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

7 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;

    whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.

8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;

    rebuke the wise and they will love you.

9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;

    teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For through wisdom[a] your days will be many,

    and years will be added to your life.

12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;

    if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.

When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally.[a] Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles[b] and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 10 But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. 11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;

    the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;

    indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.

2 Your throne was established long ago;

    you are from all eternity.

3 The seas have lifted up, Lord,

    the seas have lifted up their voice;

    the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,

    mightier than the breakers of the sea—

    the Lord on high is mighty.

5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;

    holiness adorns your house

    for endless days.

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

13 Folly is an unruly woman;

    she is simple and knows nothing.

14 She sits at the door of her house,

    on a seat at the highest point of the city,

15 calling out to those who pass by,

    who go straight on their way,

16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”

To those who have no sense she says,

17 “Stolen water is sweet;

    food eaten in secret is delicious!”

18 But little do they know that the dead are there,

    that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.

29 “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. 30 Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

31 “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar[a] around this opening, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

36 “Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord. 37 Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the Lord.

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,

4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint[a] elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Not to us, Lord, not to us

    but to your name be the glory,

    because of your love and faithfulness.

2 Why do the nations say,

    “Where is their God?”

3 Our God is in heaven;

    he does whatever pleases him.

4 But their idols are silver and gold,

    made by human hands.

5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,

    eyes, but cannot see.

6 They have ears, but cannot hear,

    noses, but cannot smell.

7 They have hands, but cannot feel,

    feet, but cannot walk,

    nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

8 Those who make them will be like them,

    and so will all who trust in them.

9 All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—

    he is their help and shield.

10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—

    he is their help and shield.

11 You who fear him, trust in the Lord—

    he is their help and shield.

12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us:

    He will bless his people Israel,

    he will bless the house of Aaron,

13 he will bless those who fear the Lord—

    small and great alike.

14 May the Lord cause you to flourish,

    both you and your children.

15 May you be blessed by the Lord,

    the Maker of heaven and earth.

16 The highest heavens belong to the Lord,

    but the earth he has given to mankind.

17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord,

    those who go down to the place of silence;

18 it is we who extol the Lord,

    both now and forevermore.

Praise the Lord.

21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

1 The proverbs of Solomon:

A wise son brings joy to his father,

    but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

2 Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value,

    but righteousness delivers from death.

3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

    but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

4 Lazy hands make for poverty,

    but diligent hands bring wealth.

5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,

    but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,

    but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

7 The name of the righteous is used in blessings,

    but the name of the wicked will rot.

8 The wise in heart accept commands,

    but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

    but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

10 Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,

    and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

12 Hatred stirs up conflict,

    but love covers over all wrongs.

13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,

    but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.

14 The wise store up knowledge,

    but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,

    but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

16 The wages of the righteous is life,

    but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.

17 Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life,

    but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips

    and spreads slander is a fool.

19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words,

    but the prudent hold their tongues.

20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,

    but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,

    but fools die for lack of sense.

22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,

    without painful toil for it.

23 A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,

    but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

24 What the wicked dread will overtake them;

    what the righteous desire will be granted.

25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,

    but the righteous stand firm forever.

26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

    so are sluggards to those who send them.

27 The fear of the Lord adds length to life,

    but the years of the wicked are cut short.

28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,

    but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,

    but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

30 The righteous will never be uprooted,

    but the wicked will not remain in the land.

31 From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,

    but a perverse tongue will be silenced.

32 The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,

    but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

18 Then the Lord was jealous for his land

    and took pity on his people.

19 The Lord replied to them:

“I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil,

    enough to satisfy you fully;

never again will I make you

    an object of scorn to the nations.

20 “I will drive the northern horde far from you,

    pushing it into a parched and barren land;

its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea

    and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.

And its stench will go up;

    its smell will rise.”

Surely he has done great things!

21 Do not be afraid, land of Judah;

    be glad and rejoice.

Surely the Lord has done great things!

22 Do not be afraid, you wild animals,

    for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.

The trees are bearing their fruit;

    the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.

23 Be glad, people of Zion,

    rejoice in the Lord your God,

for he has given you the autumn rains

    because he is faithful.

He sends you abundant showers,

    both autumn and spring rains, as before.

24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;

    the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—

    the great locust and the young locust,

    the other locusts and the locust swarm—

my great army that I sent among you.

26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,

    and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,

    who has worked wonders for you;

never again will my people be shamed.

27 Then you will know that I am in Israel,

    that I am the Lord your God,

    and that there is no other;

never again will my people be shamed.

28 “And afterward,

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

    your old men will dream dreams,

    your young men will see visions.

29 Even on my servants, both men and women,

    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

24 How many are your works, Lord!

    In wisdom you made them all;

    the earth is full of your creatures.

25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,

    teeming with creatures beyond number—

    living things both large and small.

26 There the ships go to and fro,

    and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 All creatures look to you

    to give them their food at the proper time.

28 When you give it to them,

    they gather it up;

when you open your hand,

    they are satisfied with good things.

29 When you hide your face,

    they are terrified;

when you take away their breath,

    they die and return to the dust.

30 When you send your Spirit,

    they are created,

    and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;

    may the Lord rejoice in his works—

32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,

    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;

    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,

    as I rejoice in the Lord.

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

1 The Lord detests dishonest scales,

    but accurate weights find favor with him.

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

    but with humility comes wisdom.

3 The integrity of the upright guides them,

    but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,

    but righteousness delivers from death.

5 The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,

    but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

    but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.

7 Hopes placed in mortals die with them;

    all the promise of[a] their power comes to nothing.

8 The righteous person is rescued from trouble,

    and it falls on the wicked instead.

9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,

    but through knowledge the righteous escape.

10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;

    when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

    but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

12 Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,

    but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

13 A gossip betrays a confidence,

    but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

14 For lack of guidance a nation falls,

    but victory is won through many advisers.

15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,

    but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.

16 A kindhearted woman gains honor,

    but ruthless men gain only wealth.

17 Those who are kind benefit themselves,

    but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.

18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages,

    but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

19 Truly the righteous attain life,

    but whoever pursues evil finds death.

20 The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,

    but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,

    but those who are righteous will go free.

22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

    is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

    but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;

    another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

25 A generous person will prosper;

    whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

26 People curse the one who hoards grain,

    but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.

27 Whoever seeks good finds favor,

    but evil comes to one who searches for it.

28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,

    but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,

    and the fool will be servant to the wise.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

    and the one who is wise saves lives.

31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,

    how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

15 On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. 16 That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. 18 At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s order and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. 23 At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,

    what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived”—

    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

    may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

2 May he send you help from the sanctuary

    and grant you support from Zion.

3 May he remember all your sacrifices

    and accept your burnt offerings.[b]

4 May he give you the desire of your heart

    and make all your plans succeed.

5 May we shout for joy over your victory

    and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

6 Now this I know:

    The Lord gives victory to his anointed.

He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary

    with the victorious power of his right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

8 They are brought to their knees and fall,

    but we rise up and stand firm.

9 Lord, give victory to the king!

    Answer us when we call!

1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.