Mark 3

And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

Once more, he stepped into the sacred synagogue. Among the crowd, a man with a crippled hand caught his eye.

And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

They observed him closely, curious if he would perform a healing on the Sabbath, hoping to find a reason to criticize him.

And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

He compassionately told the man with the crippled hand, "Step forward."

And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

He asked them, "Is it right on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?" But they remained silent.

And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

With a fiery gaze, he scanned the crowd, his heart heavy with their stubbornness. He then turned to the man, commanding, "Show me your hand." As the man obeyed, his hand was miraculously healed, as perfect as the other.

And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

Immediately, the Pharisees left, teaming up with the Herodians, plotting intensely on how to eliminate him.

But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,

Jesus, along with his disciples, retreated to the tranquility of the sea. A vast crowd from Galilee and Judaea, driven by faith and curiosity, eagerly trailed behind him.

And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

People from Jerusalem, Idumaea, and beyond Jordan, as well as those around Tyre and Sidon, came in droves. They had heard of his miraculous deeds and were drawn to him.

And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.

He gently told his disciples to keep a small boat ready for him. He wanted to avoid being overwhelmed by the large crowds.

For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.

He had cured countless people, so much so that those suffering from diseases eagerly crowded around him, hoping that even a simple touch could heal them.

And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

When the impure spirits saw him, they were overwhelmed, falling to their knees, they shouted in awe, "You are truly the Son of God!"

And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.

He firmly and emotionally urged them to keep his identity a secret.

And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

He climbed the mountain, passionately summoning those he chose, and they eagerly approached him.

And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

He chose twelve, to stay close to him, and to spread his teachings with passion and conviction.

And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

Empowered to heal the sick and drive out demons.

And Simon he surnamed Peter;

Simon, he lovingly bestowed the name Peter upon.

And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:

James, Zebedee's son, and his brother John were given a unique nickname by Jesus - Boanerges, meaning 'Sons of Thunder'.

And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (Alphaeus' son), Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, all with hearts full of faith and devotion.

And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

Judas Iscariot, the one who would later betray Jesus, accompanied them into a house.

And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

Once again, the crowd gathered in such large numbers that they didn't even have the chance to eat.

And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

When his family learned about it, they went out to take charge of him, saying he had lost his senses.

And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

The scholars from Jerusalem accused him, saying, "He's in league with Beelzebub, using the devil's power to drive out demons."

And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?

He gathered them close and asked, using simple stories, "How can Satan possibly drive out Satan?"

And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

If a kingdom is torn by internal conflict, it's bound to collapse.

And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

If a home is filled with conflict and division, it simply cannot thrive.

And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

If Satan turns against himself and becomes divided, he cannot survive; his end has come.

No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

No one can invade a powerful man's home and take his possessions unless they first overpower him; only then can they ransack his house.

Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:

Truly, I assure you, people will be forgiven every sin and every blasphemy they speak.

But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

But anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin and face eternal damnation.

Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

He said this because they claimed he was possessed by an evil spirit.

There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.

His family, including his mother and brothers, arrived. They stood outside, calling out to him, their voices filled with longing and concern.

And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.

Surrounded by a crowd, they told him, "Look, your family is outside searching for you."

And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?

He responded, asking, "Who truly counts as my family?"

And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

He glanced at those seated around him, and with a warm smile, he declared, "Look, my family is right here!"

For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

Anyone who follows God's path is like family to me - a brother, a sister, even a mother.