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.