5 ¹ So they came to the other side of the lake, into the country of the Gerasenes. 5 ² As he stepped ashore, a man possessed by an unclean spirit came up to him from among the tombs where he had his dwelling. 5 ³ He could no longer be controlled; even chains were useless; he had often been fettered and chained up, 5 ⁴ but he had snapped his chains and broken the fetters. No one was strong enough to master him. 5 ⁵ And so, unceasingly, night and day, he would cry aloud among the tombs and on the hill-sides and cut himself with stones. 5 ⁶ When he saw Jesus in the distance, he ran and flung himself down before him, 5 ⁷ shouting loudly, 'What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? In God's name do not torment me.' 5 ⁸ (For Jesus was already saying to him, 'Out, unclean spirit, come out of this man!') 5 ⁹ Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' 'My name is Legion,' he said, 'there are so many of us.' 5 ¹⁰ And he begged hard that Jesus would not send them out of the country.
5 ¹¹ Now there happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hill-side, 5 ¹² and the spirits begged him, 'Send us among the pigs and let us go into them.' 5 ¹³ He gave them leave; and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs; and the herd, of about two thousand, rushed over the edge into the lake and were drowned.

5 ¹⁴ The men in charge of them took to their heels and carried the news to the town and country-side; and the people came out to see what had happened. 5 ¹⁵ They came to Jesus and saw the madman who had been possessed by the legion of devils, sitting there clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 5 ¹⁶ The spectators told them how the madman had been cured and what had happened to the pigs. 5 ¹⁷ Then they begged Jesus to leave the district. 5 ¹⁸ As he was stepping into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to go with him. 5 ¹⁹ Jesus would not allow it, but said to him, 'Go home to your own folk and tell them what the Lord in his mercy has done for you.' 5 ²⁰ The man went off and spread the news in the Ten Towns Greek: Decapolis. of all that Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.