Bible Lesson 17

La Enfermedad y la Muerte… ¡Derrotadas! – Sickness and Death… Defeated!

After all of the miracles that we have heard about, the words that Jesus speaks to the synagogue ruler in this story are powerful: “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

If we are unafraid because we trust in a lie, then we are fools.

But if we are unafraid because our trust is in the almighty God of the universe who loves us and promises to care for us, then our confidence has great reason!

Hear the love of Jesus in his voice as he speaks to a sick woman and a dead girl. May his words speak life and love and healing to us as well!

How to Use This Page:

1. Listen to the audio as you read along with the Spanish on the left.

2. Open the English translation, and read the two side-by-side, making sure you understand the Spanish.

3. Close the English, and listen to the audio again, reading along in Spanish.

4. Close the Spanish, and listen once more. Maybe shut your eyes, and just try to catch as much as you can.


Llegó entonces uno de los jefes de la sinagoga, llamado Jairo. Al ver a Jesús, se arrojó a sus pies, suplicándole con insistencia:

—Mi hijita se está muriendo. Ven y pon tus manos sobre ella para que se sane y viva.

Jesús se fue con él, y lo seguía una gran multitud, la cual lo apretujaba. Había entre la gente una mujer que hacía doce años padecía de hemorragias. Había sufrido mucho a manos de varios médicos, y se había gastado todo lo que tenía sin que le hubiera servido de nada, pues en vez de mejorar, iba de mal en peor. Cuando oyó hablar de Jesús, se le acercó por detrás entre la gente y le tocó el manto. Pensaba: «Si logro tocar siquiera su ropa, quedaré sana.» Al instante cesó su hemorragia, y se dio cuenta de que su cuerpo había quedado libre de esa aflicción.

Al momento también Jesús se dio cuenta de que de él había salido poder, así que se volvió hacia la gente y preguntó:

—¿Quién me ha tocado la ropa?

—Ves que te apretuja la gente —le contestaron sus discípulos—, y aun así preguntas: “¿Quién me ha tocado?”

Pero Jesús seguía mirando a su alrededor para ver quién lo había hecho. La mujer, sabiendo lo que le había sucedido, se acercó temblando de miedo y, arrojándose a sus pies, le confesó toda la verdad.

—¡Hija, tu fe te ha sanado! —le dijo Jesús—. Vete en paz y queda sana de tu aflicción.

Todavía estaba hablando Jesús, cuando llegaron unos hombres de la casa de Jairo, jefe de la sinagoga, para decirle:

—Tu hija ha muerto. ¿Para qué sigues molestando al Maestro?

Sin hacer caso de la noticia, Jesús le dijo al jefe de la sinagoga:

—No tengas miedo; cree nada más.

No dejó que nadie lo acompañara, excepto Pedro, Jacobo y Juan, el hermano de Jacobo. Cuando llegaron a la casa del jefe de la sinagoga, Jesús notó el alboroto, y que la gente lloraba y daba grandes alaridos. Entró y les dijo:

—¿Por qué tanto alboroto y llanto? La niña no está muerta sino dormida.

Entonces empezaron a burlarse de él, pero él los sacó a todos, tomó consigo al padre y a la madre de la niña y a los discípulos que estaban con él, y entró adonde estaba la niña. La tomó de la mano y le dijo:

—Talita cum (que significa: Niña, a ti te digo, ¡levántate!).

La niña, que tenía doce años, se levantó en seguida y comenzó a andar. Ante este hecho todos se llenaron de asombro. Él dio órdenes estrictas de que nadie se enterara de lo ocurrido, y les mandó que le dieran de comer a la niña.

There arrived then one of the chiefs of the synagogue, called Jairus. Upon seeing Jesus, he threw himself at his feet, begging him with insistence:

“My little daughter is dying. Come and put your hands over her so that she be healed and live.”

Jesus went away with him, and there followed him a great crowd, which pressed him. There was among the people a woman who for 12 years suffered from bleeding. She had suffered much at the hands of various doctors, and she had spent all that she had without it helping at all, but in stead of improving, it went from bad to worse. When she heard tell of Jesus, she approached him from behind among the people and touched his garment. She thought: “If I manage to touch even his clothing, I will be healed.” At that instant her bleeding stopped, and she noticed that her body had been freed from that affliction.

At that moment also Jesus noticed that from him had gone out power, so he turned towards the people and asked:

“Who has touched my clothing?”

“You see that the people press you,” answered his disciples, “and even so you ask, ‘Who has touched me?'”

But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. The woman, knowing what had happened, approached trembling with fear and, kneeling at his feet, confessed all the truth.

“Daughter, your faith has healed you!” Jesus told her. “Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”

Jesus was still speaking when there arrived some men from the house of Jairus, the synagogue chief, to tell him:

“Your daughter has died. Why continue bothering the Teacher?”

Without paying attention to the news, Jesus told the synagogue ruler:

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

He didn’t allow anyone to go with, except Peter, James and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue ruler, Jesus noticed the commotion, and that the people were crying and giving great howls. He entered and told them:

“Why so much noise and grief? The child is not dead but asleep.”

Then they began to laugh at him, but he took them all out, took with him the father and the mother of the girl and his disciples that were with him, and he entered where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her:

“Talitha, koum” (which means: little girl, I say to you, get up!).

The child, who was 12, got up right away and began to walk. Before this deed all were filled with astonishment. He gave strict orders that nobody find out about what happened, and he told them to give food to the child.

Christ and the Woman with the Issue of Blood, by Paolo Veronese, mid 1500's.

Christ and the Woman with the Issue of Blood, by Paolo Veronese, mid 1500’s.

Raising of Jairus' Daughter, by Ilya Repin. 1871. (Click photo for full version)

Raising of Jairus’ Daughter, by Ilya Repin. 1871. (Click photo for full version)

Resurrection of Jairus' Daughter, by Vasily Polenov, 1871. (Click to see full version)

Resurrection of Jairus’ Daughter, by Vasily Polenov, 1871. (Click to see full version)