the birds in the sky, and all the wild ani-
mals.
This feature points out many of the
Genesis 5 — 6
interesting, small facts that are
put a curse on the ground.” 30 La-
mech lived 595 years af ter Noah
was born. He also had other sons
and daughters. Lamech lived
31
a total of 777 years. And then he
died.
32After Noah was 500 years old, he
became the father of Shem, Ham
and Japheth.
How long
takeThe
the ark?do all those who live in it.
The Sins of Everyone on Earth
6:3 He made it secure on the
6 There be gan to be many human
beings on the earth. And daughters
were born to them. The sons of God
2
saw that the daughters of human beings
were beauti ful. So they mar ried any of
them they chose. Then the L
3 said,
ORD
“My Spir it will not struggle with human
beings forever. They will have only 120 Noah and the Flood
years to live.”
4 The Nephi lim were on the earth in
those days. That was when the sons of
God went to the daughters of human
be ings. Children were born to them.
The Nephilim were famous heroes who
lived long ago. Nephilim were also on the
earth later on.
5 The L ORD saw how bad the sins of
everyone on earth had be come. They
only thought about evil things. 6 The
L ORD was very sad that he had made
human beings on the earth. His heart was
filled with pain. 7 So the L ORD said, “I cre-
ated human beings, but I will wipe them
out. I will also destroy the animals, the
birds in the sky, and the creatures that
move along the ground. I am very sad
Noah built a wooden ark. It was a kind of boat. When
the flood came, Noah and his family were safe. The
animals were safe too. The ark was 450 feet long. That is
as long as 1½
football fields
laid out end to
end. The ark was 45 feet high. That’s as
high as a five-story building. The ark
had a long row of windows 9780310765080_int_00_fm_nirvpolaradv_p2.indd
just under
the roof. The door must have been big
But Adam didn’t find a helper that
Adam
Ada was just right for him. 21 So the L ORD
God caused him to fall into a deep sleep.
Adam was the first human
hum being. God While the man was sleeping, the L ORD
created Adam in his own image. That God took out one of the man’s ribs. Then
means that in many ways Adam was the L ORD God closed the opening in the
like God. God made Adam from the dust man’s side. 22 Then the L ORD God made
of the earth. God placed Adam in the a woman. He made her from the rib he
Garden of Eden to take care of it. had taken out of the man. And the L ORD
God brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
8 The L ORD God had planted a garden “Her bones have come from my
in the east in Eden. He put in the garden bones.
Welcome!
the man he had formed. 9 The L ORD God Her body has come from my body.
made every kind of tree grow out of the She will be named ‘woman,’
ground. The trees were pleasing to look because she was taken out of a
at. Their fruit was good to eat. There man.”
were two trees in the middle of the gar- 24 That’s why a man leaves his father and
den. One of them had fruit that let people
Welcome to the great adventure of live forever. The other had fruit that let
people tell the dif ference between good
helps make these real-life characters
mother and is joined to his wife. The two
of them become one.
25 Adam and his wife were both naked.
reading, exploring and discovering and evil.
10 A riv er wa tered the gar den. It and
TheyExodus their
didn’t 1 —any
feel true stories
2 shame. 66 come alive for
flowed out of Eden. From there the river
the Bible. sepa rated into four other rivers. 11 The
name of the first river is the Pishon. It
The Israelites Become Slaves
in Egypt you.
bricks andIt might
And they madebe
slave drivers forced them to work with
mud. them do
1 Each
winds through the whole land of Hav ilah. Here are the names of Israel’s chil- all kinds of work in the fields. The Egyp-
Are you looking for adventure? Gold is found there. 12 The gold of that dren who went to Egypt with Jacob. fun to
tians didn’t try
show themto any pity at all.
land is good. Onyx and sweet-smell ing one went with his family. They made them work very hard.
Are you eager to discover God’s Jacob’s sons were Reuben, Simeon, imagine yourself
resin are also found there. 13 The name There were two Hebrew women
15
2
of the second river is the Gihon. It winds named Shiphrah and Puah. They helped
through the whole land of Cush. 14 The Levi, Judah, Eve other women hav ing babies. The king of
Word and apply it to your life? name of the third river is the Tigris. It
runs along the east side of Ashur. And
3
4
Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,
GodDan,
did not want
ant
Naphtali, Adam to be alone.
created a helper for Adam. Her name
He inare their
the ones who situations.
Egypt spoke to them. He said, “You
help the other Hebrew
16
Gad and Asher. women. Watch them when they get into
Then the NIrV Adventure Bible® for the fourth river is called the Euphrates.
15 The L ORD God put the man in the
Garden of Eden. He put him there to
was Eve. God made her from one of
5 Theribs.
Adam’s total num
Adam ber
and Jacob’s chil- What
Eveoflived
Kill the
would
a sit ting position
boys. Let
to have their
the
youbabies.
girls live.” But 17
dreninand
together grandchildren
the Garden of Eden. was 70.
Early Readers Polar Exploration farm its land and take care of it. 16 The
L ORD God gave the man a command. He
Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Joseph
do?
Shiphrah and Puah had respect for God.
They didn’t do what the king of Egypt
and all his brothers died. So had told them to do. They let the boys
Edition is especially for you. did all their children. 7 The people of live. 18 Then the king of Egypt sent for
Each feature of the NIrV Adventure Life in Bible Times
Israel had many children. The number
of them great ly increased. There were
so many of them that they filled the land.
the women. He asked them, “Why have
you done this? Why have you let the boys
live?”
Do you ever wonder what it was
8 Then a new king came to power in 19 The wom en answered Pharaoh,
Bible® for Early Readers is designed Egypt. Joseph didn’t mean any thing
to him. 9 “Look,” he said to his people.
“Hebrew women are not like the wom-
en of Egypt. They are strong. They have
to introduce you to the wonderful like to live in the times of Abraham
“The Israelites are far too many for us.
10 Come. We must deal with them care-
their babies before we get there.”
20 So God was kind to Shiph rah and
messages and promises in God’s or Ruth or Jesus? What kind of food
fully. If we don’t, there will be even more
of them. Then if war breaks out, they’ll
join our enemies. They’ll fight against us
Puah. And the number of Is ra elites
became even greater. 21 Shiph rah and
Puah had respect for God. So he gave
Word. Take a few minutes to read did they eat? Where did they sleep?
and leave the country.”
11 So the Egyptians put slave driv-
them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave an order to all
ers over the people of Is rael. The slave
these explanations. Then you will What kind of work did they do?
drivers treated them bad ly and made
them work hard. The Israelites built the
his people. He said, “You must throw
every Hebrew baby boy into the Nile Riv-
er. But let every Hebrew baby girl live.”
know the best way to use the NIrV “Life in Bible Times” will
Moses tell you—
cit ies of Pithom and Rameses so Phar-
Is Born
aoh could store things there. 12 But the
and show you! Each2
worse the slave drivers treated the Isra-
A man and a woman from the tribe
Adventure Bible® for Early Readers. of these
elites, the more Israelites there were. So
of Levi got mar ried. She became
the Egyptians be came afraid of them.
pregnant and had a son by her husband.
2
exciting features includes
13 They made them work hard. They
a forpicture.
She saw that her baby was a fine child.
didn’t show them any pity. 14 The people
And she hid him three months.
Features You Should suf fered because of their hard labor. The 3 After that, she couldn’t hide him any
Know About God Makes a Covenant With Noah
TheNoah
Egyptians
11 Genesis 9
Moses’ Basket Boat
you in the ark. I am mak ing my covenant
builtwith the birds, the livestock and all the
9 Then God blessed
boats “Have
sons. He said to them,
and his
chil- wild animals. I am mak ing it with all the
by tying
Words to Treasure dren so that there aretogether
many of you. Fill ofcreatures that came out of the ark with
bundles
the earth. 2 All the land animals will be you. In fact, I am mak ing it with every
dried
afraid of you. All the birds in papyrus (puh-liv ing thing on earth. 11 Here is my cov-
the sky will
be afraid of you. Every crea ture
PIE-rus) The enant I am making with you. The waters
that
reeds.
Key verses throughout the Bible are moves along the ground will be afraid of of a flood will never again destroy all
you. So will every fish papyrus reed
in the seas. basket
Every life. A flood will never again destroy the
thatlivMoses’ mother
is putmade
underprobably lookedearth.”
highlighted as “Words to Treasure.”
ing thing your control.
3 Every thing that lives and moves about 12 God continued, “My covenant is
likewill
onebeoffood
those boats.
for you. I have already given between me and you and every liv ing
These verses are worth you the green plants for food. Now I am creature with you. It is a covenant for
giv ing you every thing. all time to come. Here is the sign of the
4 “But you must not eat meat that covenant I am mak ing. 13 I have put my
remembering. The best way to live still has blood in it. 5 I will cer tain ly rainbow in the clouds. It will be the sign
Live It!
hold some one ac count able if you are of the covenant be tween me and the
mur dered. I will even hold an i mals earth. 14 Sometimes when I bring clouds
for Jesus is to have
677 his Word Psalmsin23your— 25 ac count able if they kill you. I will also
hold anyone account able who murders
over the earth, a rainbow will appear in
them. 15 Then I will remember my cov-
heart. It is important
another person.
to read and memorize enant between me and you and every
statue ofTry
a god. to
Anyone who does not trust in the kind of liv ing creature. The waters will
“Anyone who murders a human
6
never again become a flood to destroy
being
Anyone who doesn’t use the name
memorize
of that god when he these
makes a
God’sThatwillWord. But
be killed by a human what really counts
being.
is because I have made human
all life. 16 When the rainbow appears in
the clouds, I will see it. I will remember
that my covenant will last forever. It is a
The L
Psalm 23:1
is my
ORD verses
People
promise.
from
like that will receive the
5 is living so that it,
beings
they areletting
like me. the Bible affectcovenant between me and every kind of
liv ing creature on earth.”
shepherd. He L ’s blessing. ORD “Have children so that there will be
7 17 So God said to Noah, “The rainbow
gives me
everything I
When God their Savior hands
“Words to it will be in
down his sentence,
howmany you
of you. Mul
on the earth.”
work, play,
tiply and become many and live. “Live
is the sign of my covenant. I have made
my covenant between me and all life on
Then God spoke to Noah and to his
8 earth.”
need. their favor.
Treasure.”
The people who look to God are like
6 It!” am
tells
sons who wereyou with him. what
He said, “Ithe Bible has to
9
now mak ing my covenant with you The Sons of Noah
that.
say with
about af ter you. your life
it also RIGHT
and with all your children who will be
NOW!
The sons of Noah who came out of
18
5 You God of Jacob, they look to you. born I am mak ing
10 the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth.
prepare a feast for me
every liv ing creature that was with Ham was the father of Canaan. The 19
Did You Know?
right in front of my enemies. 7 Open wide, you gates.
You pour oil on my head. Open up, you ancient doors.
My cup runs over. Then the King of glory will
6 I am sure that your goodness and come in.
love will follow me
all the days of my life.
8 Who is the King of glory?
The L ORD, who is strong and
Thank God
8 And I will live in the house of the
mighty. Read Genesis 8:20–22; 9:12–17. When Noah and his family
L ORD The L ORD, who is mighty in battle. left the ark, they gave thanks to God. God was pleased. He
that I have made human beings.” 8 But put a rainbow in the sky. It was his promise that he would GENESIS 8:20–22; 9:12–17
forever. 9 Open wide, you gates.
the L ORD was very pleased with Noah.
Psalm 24 found in the Open wide, you ancient doors.
Then the King of glory will
never again send a flood over the whole earth. Noah and his
family were very thankful. Make a list of all the reasons you
are thankful. Ask your family to help.
Knotowthe?L . And Bible. Learn them
A psalm of David. come in.
D i
Thed Youbelongs
earth
1 ORD
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The L ORD who rules over all.
so does
toworld
did everything
build
it in it.
belongs to him. And so all and wow your He is the King of glory.
Psalm 25
He set it firmly on the oceans.
2
It took about parents, A psalm ofteachers,
David.
120 years. God
waters.
waited until the ark
Who can go up to the temple on the
3
was ready before he sent
andI trust friends
In you, L
in you.
2 with
my God, I put my trust.
1 ORD
mountain of the L ? Don’t let me be put to shame.
your
Don’t letBible
ORD
the flood. He wanted to save Noah
Who can stand in his holy place? my enemies win the battle
Book Introductions
and his family.
Anyone who has clean hands and a
4 over me.
pure heart.
knowledge.
Those who put their hope in you
3
9 Here
line.
is the sto ry of Noah’s fam i ly
What God Is Like You’ll find basic facts about a book of
People In Bible Times
Noah was a godly man. He was with-
Psalm 23 says that God is like a shepherd. A shepherd
out blame among the people of his time.
the Bible (who wrote it, where it took
He walked faith fully with God. loves10and
Noahcares for his sheep. He watches them closely,
The Bible is full of wonderful
had three sons. Their namesprotects
Ham and Japheth.
were Shem, place, why it was written), at the
them from
people. You are probably very
11 The earth was very sin ful in God’s
eyes. It was full of people who danger, and
did mean beginning of each book. The book
and harm ful things. 12 Godmakes saw howsure
sin-
familiar with some of their stories,
ful the
theyearth
havehad become.
enough to eatAlland
its peo ple
drink.
were liv ing very sin ful lives. 13 So God
introduction will also give you a list
saidTotosay that“IGod
am is
goour
ing shepherd
to ev
Noah,
but you may never have heard of
means
eryone. that he watches
They
to put an end
have filledover
theusearth
and of favorite Bible stories and teachings
withwill
their
show harm
us ful
whatacts. I amfor
is best cerus.
tainly
others. “People in Bible Times”
going to destroy them and the earth.
14 So make yourself an ark out of cypress you can find in that Bible book.
Noah’s Ark
8 2/25/19 9:37 AM
 9 Welcome
Maps
Genesis In the back of this Bible are eight
Who wrote this book?
Moses wrote this book.
Why was this book written?
color maps. They will help you
better understand where the events
This book tells how God created the world. It also
tells about the special promises God made to
Abraham.
What do we learn about God in this
book? in the Bible took place. There is also
God created all things. God loves people. But God
wants people to obey him. God promises to save
people who trust him. a map index.
Who is important in this book?

Where to Start
Important people in this book are Adam, Eve and
Noah. Abraham and Sarah are also important.
Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are important too.
When did this happen?
No one knows when the creation or the flood
happened. Abraham was born about 2,000 years
before Jesus was born.
Don’t worry about where to start.
Where did this happen?
The first part of Genesis happened somewhere in
Start anywhere. Go through the
Bible and see what features interest
the Middle East. Many people think that the
Garden of Eden was in the country we now call
Iraq. The rest of Genesis takes place in Egypt and
Canaan.
What are some of the stories in this
book?
you. Then begin exploring and
God creates the world ................................ Genesis 1
God creates Adam and Eve......................... Genesis 2
reading both the features and the
Bible text. Use the NIrV Adventure
Adam and Eve sin ........................................ Genesis 3
God saves Noah and the animals ........... Genesis 6–8
God gives Abram a promise ..................... Genesis 12
Jacob steals Esau’s blessing ....................... Genesis 27
Joseph’s brothers sell him ......................... Genesis 37
Bible® for Early Readers every day
Joseph becomes a ruler....................... Genesis 39–41
to begin the great adventure of
living for Jesus!

If you have any questions or

comments about this Bible, please
Subject Index
write and tell us.
In the back of the NIrV Adventure
Bible® for Early Readers is an index
The Editors
of different subjects and people
Zonderkidz
covered in this Bible. If you need to
3900 Sparks Drive, SE
do a report for school or are
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
wondering about a certain subject
or person, look it up in this index
and then read about it on the pages
listed.

Dictionary
When you’re reading the NIrV
Adventure Bible® for Early Readers,
you may come to a word that you
don’t understand. Be sure to take a
minute to look it up in the
dictionary found at the back of your
Note to parents and teachers:
The special features of the NIrV
Bible (page 1553). Read the
Adventure Bible® for Early Readers
definition so you can better Polar Exploration Edition can be
understand God’s message. used as a teaching or devotional tool
by parents and teachers but also
Charts may be used to encourage children
In the front and scattered to explore the Bible on their own
throughout the NIrV Adventure and to have their own quiet times
Bible® for Early Readers are some with God.
special, colorful pages that contain
important information. Be sure to
check out the facts on these pages.
You’ll be glad you did!

9780310765080_int_00_fm_nirvpolaradv_p2.indd 9 2/25/19 9:37 AM

 Mark
Who wrote this book?
A young man named John Mark worked with
Peter. Peter told him things about Jesus. John Mark
wrote these things down in this book.
Why was this book written?
This book shows people who Jesus is. Mark tells
what Jesus did so that people can know Jesus
better.
For whom was this book written?
Mark wrote this book for people in the Roman
Empire. These people did not understand how the
Jews lived, so sometimes Mark explained things.
What happens in this book?
Jesus shows his power by doing wonderful things
that help people. He teaches his followers too.
Who is important in this book?
Jesus is the most important person in this book.
When did this happen?
The events in this book happened when Jesus was
an adult on earth.
Where did this happen?
Most of the things in Mark 1–9 happened in
Galilee. Most of the things in Mark 10–16 took
place in or near Jerusalem.
What are some of the stories in this
book?
Jesus heals a man who can’t walk.......... Mark 2:1–12
Jesus calms a storm............................... Mark 4:35–41
Jesus raises a dead girl.......................... Mark 5:21–43
Jesus walks on the water...................... Mark 6:45–56
Jesus feeds 4,000 people......................... Mark 8:1–10
Jesus heals a young boy........................ Mark 9:14–32
Jesus and his followers eat the
Lord’s Supper................................... Mark 14:12–26
Jesus dies and is buried....................... Mark 15:21–47
Jesus rises from the dead........................ Mark 16:1–8

9780310765080_int_05_nirvpolaradv_p2.indd 1207 2/28/19 9:23 AM

 Mark 1 1208
John the Baptist Prepares
the Way
1 This is the be­gin­ning of the good news
a­ bout J­ esus the Mes­si­a h, the Son of
God. 2 Long ago Isa­iah the proph­e t
­w rote,
“I will send my messenger ahead of
you.
He will prepare your way.”
 (Malachi 3:1)
3 “A messenger is calling out in the
desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord.
Make straight paths for him.’ ”
 (Isaiah 40:3)
John the Baptist
John the Baptist spoke God’s words. He
told the people that Jesus was coming.
John baptized many people in the river.
He told them to ask God to forgive them
for their sins. John the Baptist also
baptized Jesus.
4 And so John the Bap­t ist ap­p eared in
the desert. He p ­ reached that peo­p le
­should be bap­t ized and turn away from
­their sins. Then God w ­ ould for­g ive
them. 5 All the peo­ple from the coun­
try­s ide of Ju­dea went out to him. All
the peo­p le from Je­r u­s a­lem went too.
When they ad­m it­t ed they had ­sinned,
John bap­t ized them in the Jor­dan Riv­
er. 6 John wore ­clothes made out of cam­
el’s hair. He had a leath­er belt a­ round
his ­w aist. And he ate lo­c usts and wild
hon­ey. 7 Here is what John was preach­
ing. “Af­ter me, ­t here is some­one com­ing
who is more pow­er­f ul than I am. I’m not
good ­enough to bend down and un­t ie his
san­dals. 8 I bap­t ize you with wa­ter. But
he will bap­t ize you with the Holy Spir­it.”
Jesus Is Baptized and Tempted
9 At that time J ­ esus came from Naz­
a­reth in Gal­i­lee. John bap­t ized ­Jesus in
9780310765080_int_05_nirvpolaradv_p2.indd 1208
the Jor­dan Riv­er. 10 ­Jesus was com­ing up
out of the wa­ter. Just then he saw heav­en
be­ing torn open. J­ esus saw the Holy
Spir­it com­ing down on him like a dove.
11 A v
­ oice ­spoke to him from heav­en. It
said, “You are my Son, and I love you. I
am very ­pleased with you.”
12 At once the Holy Spir­it sent ­Jesus
out into the desert. 13 He was in the des­
ert 40 days. ­T here Sa­t an tempt­ed him.
The wild an­i­mals ­didn’t harm J­ esus. An­
gels took care of him.
Jesus Preaches the Good News
14 Af­ter John was put in pris­on, ­Jesus
went into Gal­i­lee. He ­preached the good
news of God. 15 “The time has come,”
he said. “The king­dom of God has come
near. Turn away from your sins and
be­lieve the good news!”
Jesus Chooses His First Disciples
16 One day ­Jesus was walk­i ng be­side
the Sea of Gal­i­lee. ­T here he saw Si­mon
and his broth­e r An­d rew. They were
throw­ing a net into the lake. They were
fish­e r­men. 17 “Come and fol­low me,”
­Jesus said. “I will send you out to fish for
peo­ple.” 18 At once they left ­t heir nets
and fol­lowed him.
19 Then J­ esus w­ alked a lit­t le far­t her.
As he did, he saw ­James, the son of Zeb­
e­dee, and his broth­er John. They were
in a boat pre­par­ing ­t heir nets. 20 ­R ight
away he ­c alled out to them. They left
­their fa­ther Zeb­e­dee in the boat with the
­hired men. Then they fol­lowed ­Jesus.
Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit
21 ­Jesus and t­ hose with him went to
Ca­p er ­n a­u m. When the Sab­b ath day
came, he went into the syn­a ­g ogue.
­T here he be­gan to ­teach. 22 The peo­ple
were ­a mazed at his teach­ing. ­T hat’s be­
cause he ­t aught them like one who had
au­thor­i­t y. He did not talk like the teach­
ers of the law. 23 Just then a man in ­their
syn­a­gogue ­cried out. He was con­t rolled
by an evil spir­it. He said, 24 “What do you
want with us, J­ esus of Naz­a ­reth? Have
you come to de­stroy us? I know who you
are. You are the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be qui­et!” said ­Jesus firm­ly. “Come
out of him!” 26 The evil spir­it ­shook the
man wild­ly. Then it came out of him with
a ­scream.
27 All the peo­ple were ­a mazed. So they
2/28/19 9:23 AM
 1209
a­ sked each oth­er, “What is this? A new
teach­i ng! And with so much au­t hor­i­t y!
He even g ­ ives or­ders to evil spir­its, and
they obey him.” 28 News ­about ­Jesus
­spread quick­ly all over Gal­i­lee.
Jesus Heals Many People
29 ­Jesus and t­ hose with him left the
syn­a­gogue. ­R ight away they went with
­James and John to the home of Si­mon
and An­d rew. 30 Si­mon’s moth­er-in-law
was ly­ing in bed with a fe­ver. They told
­Jesus a­ bout her r­ ight away. 31 So he went
to her. He took her hand and ­helped her
up. The fe­ver left her. Then she be­gan to
­serve them.
32 That eve­n ing af­ter sun­set, the peo­
ple ­brought to ­Jesus all who were sick.
They also ­brought all who were con­
trolled by de­m ons. 33 All the peo­p le
in town gath­ered at the door. 34 ­Jesus
­healed many of them. They had all k ­ inds
of sick­ness­es. He also ­d rove out many
de­mons. But he w ­ ould not let the de­mons
­speak, be­cause they knew who he was.
Jesus Prays in a Quiet Place
35 It was very ear­ly in the morn­i ng and
s­ till dark. ­Jesus got up and left the ­house.
He went to a p ­ lace ­where he ­could be
­alone. ­T here he ­prayed. 36 Si­mon and his
­f riends went to look for J­ esus. 37 When
they f­ ound him, they c­ alled out, “Ev­ery­
one is look­ing for you!”
38 ­Jesus re­plied, “­L et’s go some­where
else. I want to go to the near­by ­towns.
I must ­preach ­t here also. That is why I
have come.” 39 So he trav­eled all ­a round
When Jesus was
living on earth,
fishermen in boats
worked on the Sea
of Galilee. The fish
they caught in their
nets were salted or dried and then sold all
through the Holy Land. Jesus told his first
disciples to fish for people instead of fish
(Mark 1:16–18).
9780310765080_int_05_nirvpolaradv_p2.indd 1209
Mark 1 — 2
Gal ­i­l ee. He ­p reached in ­t heir syn­a ­
gogues. He also ­drove out de­mons.
Jesus Heals a Man Who Had
a Skin Disease
40 A man who had a skin dis­ease came
to J­ esus. On his k ­ nees he b
­ egged ­Jesus.
He said, “If you are will­i ng to make me
‘­clean,’ you can do it.”
41 ­Jesus be­c ame an­g ry. He ­r eached
out his hand and ­touched the man. “I am
will­ing to do it,” ­Jesus said. “Be ‘­clean’!”
42 ­R ight away the dis­e ase left the man,
and he was “­clean.”
43 ­Jesus sent him away at once. He
gave the man a s­ trong warn­ing. 44 “­Don’t
tell this to any­one,” he said. “Go and
show your­self to the ­priest. Of­fer the sac­
ri ­f ic­es that Mo­ses com ­mand­ed. It will
be a wit­ness to the ­priest and the peo­ple
that you are ‘­clean.’ ” 45 But the man went
out and start­ed talk­ing ­r ight away. He
­spread the news to ev­ery­one. So ­Jesus
­could no lon­ger en­ter a town open­ly. He
­stayed out­side in lone­ly plac­es. But peo­
ple ­still came to him from ev­ery­where.
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Man
Who Could Not Walk
2 A few days lat­e r, ­Jesus en­tered
Ca­p er ­n a­u m ­a gain. T he peo­p le
­heard that he had come home. 2 So many
peo­ple gath­ered that ­there was no room
left. T
­ here was not even room out­side
the door. And J­ esus ­preached the word
to them. 3 Four of t­ hose who came were
car­r y­ing a man who ­could not walk. 4 But
they c­ ould not get him ­close to ­Jesus be­
Fishing
2/28/19 9:23 AM
 Mark 2
cause of the ­crowd. So they made a hole
by dig­ging ­through the roof ­above ­Jesus.
Then they low­ered the man ­through it on
a mat. 5 ­Jesus saw ­their ­faith. So he said
to the man, “Son, your sins are for­giv­en.”
6 Some teach­e rs of the law were sit­
ting ­t here. They were think­ing, 7 “Why
is this fel­low talk­ing like that? He’s say­
ing a very evil ­t hing! Only God can for­
give sins!”
8 ­R ight away ­Jesus knew what they
were think­ing. So he said to them, “Why
are you think­ing ­t hese ­t hings? 9 Is it
eas­i­e r to say to this man, ‘Your sins
are for­g iv­en’? Or to say, ‘Get up, take
your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you
to know that the Son of Man has au­t hor­
i­t y on ­e arth to for­g ive sins.” So J­ esus
­spoke to the man who ­could not walk.
11 “I tell you,” he said, “get up. Take your
mat and go home.” 12 The man got up
and took his mat. Then he w ­ alked away
­while ev­ery­one ­watched. All the peo­ple
were ­a mazed. They ­p raised God and
said, “We have nev­e r seen any­thing
like this!”
Jesus Chooses Levi and Eats With
Sinners
13 Once a ­ gain J­ esus went out be­side
the Sea of Gal­i­lee. A ­large ­crowd came
to him. He be­gan to ­teach them. 14 As he
­walked ­along he saw Levi, the son of Al­
phae­us. Levi was sit­t ing at the tax col­lec­
tor’s ­booth. “Fol­low me,” ­Jesus told him.
Levi got up and fol­lowed him.
15 Lat­e r ­Jesus was hav­i ng din­ner at
Le­v i’s ­house. Many tax col­lec­t ors and
1210
sin­ners were eat­ing with him and his
dis­c i­ples. They were part of the ­large
­c rowd fol­low ­i ng ­Jesus. 16 Some teach­
ers of the law who were Phar­i­sees were
­t here. They saw ­Jesus eat­i ng with sin­
ners and tax col­lec­t ors. So they ­a sked
his dis­ci­ples, “Why does he eat with tax
col ­lec­tors and sin­ners?”
17 ­Jesus ­heard that. So he said to them,
“­T hose who are ­healthy ­don’t need a doc­
tor. Sick peo­ple do. I have not come to get
­those who t­ hink they are r­ ight with God
to fol­low me. I have come to get sin­ners
to fol­low me.”
Jesus Is Asked About Fasting
18 ­John’s dis ­c i­ples and the Phar ­i­s ees
were go­ing with­out eat­ing. Some peo­ple
came to ­Jesus. They said to him, “­John’s
dis­ci­ples are fast­ing. The dis­ci­ples of the
Phar­i­sees are also fast­ing. But your dis­
ci­ples are not. Why ­a ren’t they?”
19 ­Jesus an­s wered, “How can the
­g uests of the ­g room go with­out eat­ing
­while he is with them? They will not fast
as long as he is with them. 20 But the
time will come when the ­g room will be
tak­en away from them. On that day they
will go with­out eat­ing.
21 “No one sews a ­p atch of new ­cloth
on old ­clothes. Oth­er­w ise, the new ­piece
will pull away from the old. That will
make the tear ­worse. 22 No one ­p ours
new wine into old wine­s kins. Oth­e r­
wise, the wine will b ­ urst the s­ kins. Then
the wine and the wine­skins will both be
de­stroyed. No, peo­ple pour new wine
into new wine­skins.”

Reach Out to Others

Read Mark 1:40–42. It tells about a man who had a
MARK 1:40–42 terrible skin disease. A person with this skin disease couldn’t
be anywhere near other people. And no one would come
near him. But Jesus did. He reached out and touched the
man. The man was healed.
Do you know any children who might feel lonely? Kids
that no one wants to be around? You can show them that
you care about them just like Jesus does. Smile at them. Talk
to them. Maybe they will ask you why you are the only
person being nice to them. Then you can tell them that Jesus
loves them too.

9780310765080_int_05_nirvpolaradv_p2.indd 1210 2/28/19 9:23 AM

 1211
Jesus Is Lord of the  He was very up­set be­cause ­t heir h
Sabbath Day
23 One Sab­bath day J ­ esus was walk­
ing with his dis­ci­ples ­through the grain­
fields. The dis­ci­ples be­gan to ­break off
some h ­ eads of ­g rain. 24 The Phar­i­sees
said to J­ esus, “Look! It is ­against the Law
to do this on the Sab­bath day. Why are
your dis­ci­ples do­ing it?”
25 He an­s wered, “­H aven’t you ever
read ­about what Da­v id did? He and his
men were hun­g ry. They need­ed food.
26 It was when Abi­a­t har was high p ­ riest.
Da­v id en­tered the ­house of God and
ate the holy ­bread. Only ­p riests were
al­lowed to eat it. Da­v id also gave some
to his men.”
27 Then ­Jesus said to them, “The Sab­
bath day was made for man. Man was not
made for the Sab­bath day. 28 So the Son
of Man is Lord even of the Sab­bath day.”
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath Day
3 An­oth­er time ­Jesus went into the
syn­a­gogue. A man with a weak and
twist­ed hand was ­t here. 2 Some Phar ­i ­
sees were try­ing to find ­fault with ­Jesus.
They ­watched him close­ly. They want­ed
to see if he ­would heal the man on the
Sab­bath day. 3 ­Jesus s­ poke to the man
with the weak and twist­ed hand. “­Stand
up in ­f ront of ev­ery­one,” he said.
4 Then J ­ esus a­ sked them, “What does
the Law say we ­should do on the Sab­bath
day? ­Should we do good? Or ­should we
do evil? ­Should we save life? Or s­ hould
we kill?” But no one an­swered.
5 ­Jesus ­looked ­a round at them in an­ger.
House roofs in
New Testament
times were made
by laying branches
over wood. Mud
was packed over
the branches. The friends who carried a
sick man to Jesus dug through the mud
roof of a house and lowered the man into
the room where Jesus was teaching.
9780310765080_int_05_nirvpolaradv_p2.indd 1211
Mark 2 — 3
­ earts
were stub­born. Then he said to the man,
“­Stretch out your hand.” He ­stretched it
out, and his hand had be­come as good as
new. 6 Then the Phar­i­sees went out and
be­gan to make ­plans with the He­ro­di­ans.
They want­ed to kill ­Jesus.
Crowds Follow Jesus
7 ­Jesus went off to the Sea of Gal­i ­lee
with his dis­c i­ples. A ­large ­c rowd from
Gal­i­lee fol­lowed. 8 Peo­ple ­heard ­about all
that ­Jesus was do­ing. And many came to
him. They came from Ju­dea, Je­r u­sa­lem
and Id­u­mea. They came from the l­ands
east of the Jor­dan Riv­er. And they came
from the area a­ round Tyre and Si­don.
9 Be­c ause of the ­c rowd, ­Jesus told his
dis­c i­ples to get a ­small boat ­ready for
him. This ­would keep the peo­ple from
crowd­ing him. 10 ­Jesus had h ­ ealed many
peo­ple. So ­those who were sick were
push­ing for­ward to t­ ouch him. 11 When
peo­ple con­t rolled by evil spir­its saw him,
they fell down in ­f ront of him. The spir­its
shout­ed, “You are the Son of God!” 12 But
­Jesus or­dered them not to tell peo­ple
­about him.
Jesus Appoints the Twelve
Disciples
13 ­Jesus went up on a moun­t ain­s ide.
He ­called for cer­t ain peo­ple to come to
him, and they came. 14 He ap­point­ed 12
of them so that they w ­ ould be with him.
He w­ ould also send them out to p ­ reach.
15 And he gave them au­t hor­i­t y to d­ rive
out de­mons. 16 So ­Jesus ap­p oint­ed the
House Roofs
2/28/19 9:23 AM
 Mark 3 — 4
12 dis­c i­ples. Si­mon was one of them.
­Jesus gave him the name Pe­ter. 17 ­T here
were J­ ames, son of Zeb­e ­dee, and his
broth­er John. J­ esus gave them the name
Bo­a ­ner­ges. Bo­a ­ner­ges ­means Sons of
Thun­der. 18 ­T here were also An­d rew,
Phil­ip, Bar­thol­o­mew, Mat­thew, Thom­as,
and ­James, son of Al­phae­us. And ­t here
were Thad­dae­us and Si­mon the Zeal­ot.
19 Ju­das Is­c ar­i­ot was one of them too. He
was the one who was lat­er go­ing to hand
­Jesus over to his en­e­mies.
Jesus Is Accused by Teachers
of the Law
20 ­Jesus en­tered a ­house. A ­ gain a
c­ rowd gath­e red. It was so ­large that
­Jesus and his dis­c i­ples were not even
able to eat. 21 His fam ­i­l y ­heard ­about
this. So they went to take c­ harge of him.
They said, “He is out of his mind.”
22 Some teach­ e rs of the law were
­t here. They had come down from Je­r u­
sa­lem. They said, “He is con­t rolled by
Be­el­ze­bul! He is driv­ing out de­mons by
the pow­er of the ­prince of de­mons.”
23 So J ­ esus ­c alled them over to him.
He be­gan to ­speak to them us­ing sto­r ies.
He said, “How can Sa­t an ­drive out Sa­t an?
24 If a king­ dom ­fights ­a gainst it­s elf,
it ­c an’t ­stand. 25 If a fam ­i­ly is di­v id­ed,
it ­c an’t ­s tand. 26 And if Sa­tan ­fights
­a gainst him­s elf, and his help­e rs are
di­v id­ed, he ­can’t ­stand. That is the end
of him. 27 In fact, none of you can en­ter
a ­strong ­man’s ­house un­less you tie him
up ­f irst. Then you can ­steal ­things from
his ­house. 28 What I’m ­about to tell you
is true. Ev­ery­one’s sins and evil ­words
1212
a­ gainst God will be for­giv­en. 29 But who­
ev­er ­speaks evil ­things ­against the Holy
Spir­it will nev­er be for­g iv­en. ­T heir ­g uilt
will last for­ev­er.”
30 ­Jesus said this be­cause the teach­ers
of the law were say­i ng, “He has an evil
spir­it.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
31 ­Jesus’ moth­e r and broth­e rs came
and s­ tood out­side. They sent some­one in
to get him. 32 A ­crowd was sit­t ing ­around
­Jesus. They told him, “Your moth­er and
your broth­ers are out­side. They are look­
ing for you.”
33 “Who is my moth­er? Who are my
broth­ers?” he ­asked.
34 Then J ­ esus l­ooked at the peo­ple
sit­t ing in a cir­cle ­a round him. He said,
“Here is my moth­er! Here are my broth­
ers! 35 Any­one who does what God ­wants
is my broth­er or sis­ter or moth­er.”
The Story of the Farmer
4 ­A gain ­Jesus be­gan to ­teach by the
Sea of Gal­i­lee. The ­crowd that gath­
ered ­a round him was very ­large. So he
got into a boat. He sat down in it out on
the lake. All the peo­ple were ­a long the
­shore at the wa­t er’s edge. 2 He ­t aught
them many ­t hings us­i ng sto­r ies. In his
teach­ing he said, 3 “Lis­t en! A farm­e r
went out to p
­ lant his seed. 4 He scat­tered
the seed on the g ­ round. Some fell on a
path. ­Birds came and ate it up. 5 Some
seed fell on ­rocky plac­es, ­where ­t here
­wasn’t much soil. The ­plants came up
quick­ly, be­c ause the soil w ­ asn’t deep.
6 When the sun came up, it b ­ urned the

Planting Seeds
Farmers in Jesus’ time didn’t
use machines to plant, or
sow, their fields with seed.
They took handfuls of seeds
and threw them on the
ground they had plowed. A
skillful farmer could spread
grain seeds very evenly.

9780310765080_int_05_nirvpolaradv_p2.indd 1212 2/28/19 9:23 AM

 1213
­ lants. They ­dried up be­cause they had
p be ­brought out into the open. 23 Who­ev­er
no ­roots. 7 Oth­er seed fell ­among ­thorns.
The t­ horns grew up and crowd­ed out the
­plants. So the ­plants did not bear ­g rain.
8 ­Still oth­er seed fell on good soil. It grew
up and pro­duced a crop 30, 60, or even
100 ­t imes more than the farm­er plant­ed.”
9 Then ­Jesus said, “Who­ev­er has ears
­should lis­ten.”
10 Lat­er ­Jesus was ­a lone. The 12 dis­ci­
ples ­asked him ­about the sto­r ies. So did
the oth­ers a­ round him. 11 He told them,
“The se­cret of G ­ od’s king­dom has been
giv­en to you. But to out­sid­ers ev­ery­thing
is told us­ing sto­r ies. 12 In that way,
“ ‘They will see but never know what
they are seeing.
They will hear but never
understand.
Otherwise they might turn and be
forgiven!’ ”  (Isaiah 6:9,10)
13 Then ­Jesus said to them, “­Don’t you
un­der­stand this sto­r y? Then how will
you un­der­stand any sto­r ies of this kind?
14 The seed the farm­er ­plants is ­G od’s
mes­sage. 15 What is seed scat­tered on
a path like? The mes­s age is plant­e d.
The peo­p le hear the mes­s age. Then
Sa­t an ­comes. He ­t akes away the mes­
sage that was plant­ed in them. 16 And
what is seed scat­tered on ­rocky plac­es
like? The peo­ple hear the mes­sage. At
once they re­ceive it with joy. 17 But they
have no r­ oots. So they last only a ­short
time. They quick­ly fall away from the
­f aith when trou­ble or suf ­fer ­i ng ­comes
be­cause of the mes­sage. 18 And what is
seed scat­tered ­a mong ­t horns like? The
peo­ple hear the mes­sage. 19 But then the
wor­r ies of this life come to them. ­Wealth
­comes with its false prom­is­es. The peo­
ple also long for oth­er ­things. All of ­these
are the ­k inds of ­t hings that ­c rowd out
the mes­sage. They keep it from pro­duc­
ing ­f ruit. 20 And what is seed scat­tered
on good soil like? The peo­ple hear the
mes­sage. They ac­cept it. They pro­duce a
good crop 30, 60, or even 100 ­t imes more
than the farm­er plant­ed.”
A Lamp on a Stand
21 ­Jesus said to them, “Do you b ­ ring
in a lamp to put it un­der a l­arge bowl
or a bed? ­Don’t you put it on its ­stand?
22 What is hid­den is m ­ eant to be seen.
And what is put out of s­ ight is m
­ eant to
9780310765080_int_05_nirvpolaradv_p2.indd 1213
Mark 4
has ears s­ hould lis­ten.”
24 “ ­T hink care­f ul ­l y ­a bout what you
hear,” he said. “As you give, so you will
re­c eive. In fact, you will re­c eive even
more. 25 Who­ev­er has some­t hing will
be giv­en more. Who­ev­er has noth­ing,
even what they have will be tak­en away
from them.”
The Story of the Growing Seed
26 ­Jesus also said, “Here is what G ­ od’s
king­dom is like. A farm­er scat­ters seed
on the ­g round. 27 ­N ight and day the
seed ­comes up and ­g rows. It hap­p ens
wheth­er the farm­er s­ leeps or gets up.
He ­doesn’t know how it hap­pens. 28 All
by it­self the soil pro­duc­es ­grain. ­First the
­stalk c­ omes up. Then the head ap­pears.
Fi­n al­ly, the full g
­ rain ap­p ears in the
head. 29 Be­fore long the g ­ rain rip­ens. So
the farm­er cuts it down, be­cause the har­
vest is ­ready.”
The Story of the Mustard Seed
30 ­A gain J
­ esus said, “What can we say
­ od’s king­dom is like? What sto­r y can
G
we use to ex­plain it? 31 It is like a mus­t ard
seed, w ­ hich is the small­est of all s­ eeds
on ­earth. 32 But when you p ­ lant the seed,
it g­ rows. It be­comes the larg­est of all gar­
den p ­ lants. Its branch­es are so big that
­birds can rest in its ­shade.”
33 Us­ing many sto­r ies like ­t hese, ­Jesus
­spoke the word to them. He told them as
much as they c­ ould un­der­stand. 34 He
did not say any­t hing to them with­out
us­ing a sto­r y. But when he was ­a lone
with his dis­ci­ples, he ex­plained ev­ery­
thing.
Jesus Calms the Storm
35 When eve­n ing came, J ­ esus said to
his dis­ci­ples, “­L et’s go over to the oth­er
side of the lake.” 36 They left the c­ rowd
be­h ind. And they took him ­a long in a
boat, just as he was. T ­ here were also
oth­er ­boats with him. 37 A wild ­storm
came up. W ­ aves ­crashed over the boat.
It was ­about to sink. 38 ­Jesus was in the
back, sleep­i ng on a cush­ion. The dis­ci­
ples woke him up. They said, “Teach­er!
­Don’t you care if we d ­ rown?”
39 He got up and or­dered the wind to
stop. He said to the ­waves, “Qui­et! Be
­still!” Then the wind died down. And it
was com­plete­ly calm.
2/28/19 9:23 AM
 Bible
Themes Jes
O
M

Worship
God Tells King
Solomon to
Build a Temple
Obey
1 KINGS 3:5—10:13 Noah Builds
an Ark
Rep
GENESIS 6­–9 God’s
Were
NEHE

Courage
Daniel Faces the
Lions
DANIEL 6

9780310765080__NIrVAdvBibleEarly_tipins_final.indd 6 2/27/19 1:31 PM

 Who is Jesus is God’s son. Because sin came into the world
when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, God sent Jesus to
Jesus? come to make things right again. Jesus was born (just
over 2,000 years ago), and he lived in a part of the world now called
the Holy Land. When he was about thirty years old, he began to
preach and to heal. Three or four years later he was nailed to the
cross to die. When the people who loved him went to his grave three
days later, Jesus’ body wasn’t there. He had come back to life, just as
he said he would.

where is Jesus is in heaven with his Father. But he has

not left us alone here on earth. He sent the Holy
Jesus now? Spirit to us—to make us strong when we feel like
giving up, to help us care about other people when we sometimes
don’t feel like it, to tell us that Jesus will always love us.

Why did Jesus Itwewas all part of God’s great plan. You see,
all deserve to be punished. God loves us so
have to die? much he sent Jesus to take our punishment.
Because of Jesus we can know for sure that God welcomes us into his
loving arms—right now and when we die and go to be with him.

Does Jesus Jesus loves you more than you can imagine. He
loves you when you cry and when you laugh; when
Love me? you argue with your brother or when you’ve had a
bad day. He loves you so much that he died for you—but he isn’t still
dead. He is alive, and he is watching
over you every day. You can be sure
that he will never let you down.
He will still love you your whole
life long. And you will live with him
forever.

9780310765080__NIrVAdvBibleEarly_tipins_final.indd 17 2/27/19 1:34 PM