Mark Chapter 16 — The Resurrection and Great Commission

¹When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.

²Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

³They were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”

⁴for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.

⁵Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.

⁶He said to them, “Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him!

⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.’ ”

⁸They went out,*TR adds “quickly” and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.†One isolated manuscript omits verses 9-20 but adds this “short ending of Mark” to the end of verse 8: They told all that had been commanded them briefly to those around Peter. After that, Jesus himself sent them out, from east to west, with the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.

⁹‡NU includes the text of verses 9-20, but mentions in a footnote that a few manuscripts omitted it. The translators of the World English Bible regard Mark 16:9-20 as reliable based on an overwhelming majority of textual evidence, including not only the authoritative Greek Majority Text New Testament, but also the TR and many of the manuscripts cited in the NU text.Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

¹⁰She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

¹¹When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they disbelieved.

¹²After these things he was revealed in another form to two of them as they walked, on their way into the country.

¹³They went away and told it to the rest. They didn’t believe them, either.

¹⁴Afterward he was revealed to the eleven themselves as they sat at the table; and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn’t believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

¹⁵He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to the whole creation.

¹⁶He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.

¹⁷These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages;

¹⁸they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

¹⁹So then the Lord,§NU adds “Jesus” after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

²⁰They went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.