Mark 16
1 When the Shabbat had finished, Miriama the Tower,b Miriam the mother of Jacob,c and Salome bought fragrant spices to go and anointd him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb, arriving with the rising of the sun.
3 “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb for us?” they were saying to each other, 4 but looking up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away from the entrance. 5 When they went into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting to their right, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified. He has been raised! He is not here. Look, there’s the place where he was laid. 7 Rather, go tell his students, especially Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee. You’ll see him there, just like he told you.”
8 Going outside, they ran from the tomb because fear and confusion had taken hold of them, and they didn’t say anything to anyone because they were afraid.
[| e 9 After he reawakened, very early in the morning on the first day of the week, he was shown first to Miriam the Tower,f from whom he had driven out seven demons. 10 Setting out, Miriam brought the news to those who had come to be with him while they were mourning and weeping. 11 However, when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they didn’t trust it.
12 Later, he was shown in a different form to two of them who were walking, traveling to the countryside.g 13 Leaving, those two spread the news to the rest, but they didn’t trust it.
14 Finally, he was shown to the Eleven themselves while they were eating, and he criticized them for their mistrustfulness and numb hearts because they did not trust the ones who had seen him after he had been raised.
15 “Go throughout the whole world,” he told them, “Announcing the Triumphant Messageh to all creation. 16 Whoever trusts it and is submersed will be liberated,i but whoever does not trust it will be destined for death.j 17 These signs will accompany those who trust faithfullyk: they will drive out demons as my representatives;l they will speak in new languages; 18 and even if they pick up snakes with their hands and drink something poisonous, it certainly won’t injure them; and they will place hands on the sick, and they will be well.”
19 Then, truly, after speaking to them, Lord Jesus was taken up into the heavens, and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 They went out announcing him everywhere while the Lord worked together with them, also making firm what they said through the accompanying signs. |]m
FOOTNOTES:
a Traditionally, ‘Mary’
b Traditionally, ‘Magdalene.’ Magdalene means ‘tower’ in Aramaic. It has traditionally been thought to mean ‘from Magdala,’ but the town now known as Magdala was not called that at the time.
c Traditionally, ‘James’
d ‘Anoint’ means to apply oil or ointment to something or someone.
e Verse 8 marks the end of what scholars believe to be the original version of Mark. Verses 9-20 are not included in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts.
f Traditionally, ‘Magdalene.’ Magdalene means ‘tower’ in Aramaic. It has traditionally been thought to mean ‘from Magdala,’ but the town now known as Magdala was not called that at the time.
g Or ‘field’ or ‘farm’
h Traditionally, ‘gospel’ or ‘good news.’ The word ‘gospel’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, which means ‘good story.’ The Greek euangelion literally means ‘good message’ and was used specifically of a message announced publicly, which fits the use of the word ‘news.’ The historical context comes from when rulers and military leaders returned to a city after victory in battle, and a herald would be sent ahead to announce the victory and the ruler’s impending arrival. The writers of the Bible took this word and applied it to Jesus’ victory of a different kind. The use of “triumphant message’ here is intended to communicate the full meaning of the word in context and not the narrow dictionary definition.
i Or ‘restored.’ Traditionally, ‘saved.’ This word can be translated as ‘preserved,’ ‘rescued,’ ‘healed,’ and ‘protected’ as well.
j Traditionally, ‘condemned.’ The word katakrino refers to seeming to be something (negative) or being sentenced, often to death. With the biblical context here, it would be likely that the original audience would have had several Hebrew Bible passages in mind, particularly Deuteronomy 30, with verses 17-18 being the most relevant, but much more context being involved.
k Or ‘trust’ or ‘are faithful’
l Literally, ‘in my name.’
m Verse 8 marks the end of what scholars believe to be the original version of Mark. Verses 9-20 are not included in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts.