Jesus Heals a Man with Evil Spirits
1Jesus and his disciples arrived on the other side of Lake Galilee, in the territory of Gerasa. 2As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, he was met by a man who came out of the burial caves there. This man had an evil spirit in him 3and lived among the tombs. Nobody could keep him chained up any more; 4many times his feet and hands had been chained, but every time he broke the chains and smashed the irons on his feet. He was too strong for anyone to control him. 5Day and night he wandered among the tombs and through the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones.
6He was some distance away when he saw Jesus; so he ran, fell on his knees before him, 7and screamed in a loud voice, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? For God's sake, I beg you, don't punish me!” 8(He said this because Jesus was saying, “Evil spirit, come out of this man!”)
9So Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
The man answered, “My name is ‘Mob’ — there are so many of us!” 10And he kept begging Jesus not to send the evil spirits out of that region.
11There was a large herd of pigs near by, feeding on a hillside. 12So the spirits begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them.” 13He let them go, and the evil spirits went out of the man and entered the pigs. The whole herd — about 2,000 pigs in all — rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.
14The men who had been taking care of the pigs ran away and spread the news in the town and among the farms. People went out to see what had happened, 15and when they came to Jesus, they saw the man who used to have the mob of demons in him. He was sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were all afraid. 16Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the man with the demons, and about the pigs.
17So they asked Jesus to leave their territory.
18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had had the demons begged him, “Let me go with you!”
19But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he told him, “Go back home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how kind he has been to you.”
20So the man left and went all through the Ten Towns, telling what Jesus had done for him. And all who heard it were amazed.
