Mark 16

Mc 16.1Et cum trānsīsset sabbatum, Marīa Magdalēnē, et Marīa Iacōbī, et Salōmē ēmērunt arōmata ut venientēs ungerent Iēsum.

And when the sabbath had passed, Mary Magdalene and Mary of James and Salome bought spices, so that, coming, they might anoint Jesus.

Note. cum trānsīsset sabbatum: 'when the sabbath had passed', i.e. after sunset on Saturday. ut venientēs ungerent: 'so that they might come and anoint'; the participle carries an action of its own. arōmata: Greek neuter plural, 'spices'.

Mc 16.2Et valdē māne ūnā sabbatōrum, veniunt ad monumentum, ortō iam sōle.

And very early on the first of the sabbaths they come to the burial place, the sun having now risen.

Note. ūnā sabbatōrum: a Hebrew way of counting the days, 'on day one of the week' (sabbata = 'week'); ūnā is a cardinal used as an ordinal. ortō iam sōle: ablative absolute; ortō is from the deponent orior 'rise'.

Mc 16.3Et dīcēbant ad invicem: Quis revolvet nōbīs lapidem ab ōstiō monumentī?

And they were saying to each other: "Who will roll back the stone for us from the doorway of the burial place?"

Note. ad invicem: 'to one another'. Quis revolvet nōbīs ...?: nōbīs is a dative of advantage, 'for us'.

Mc 16.4Et respicientēs vīdērunt revolūtum lapidem. Erat quippe magnus valdē.

And looking back, they saw the stone rolled back. For it was very great indeed.

Note. quippe: 'for indeed', explaining why the women were worried.

Mc 16.5Et introëuntēs in monumentum vīdērunt iuvenem sedentem in dextrīs, coopertum stolā candidā, et obstupuērunt.

And going into the burial place they saw a young man sitting on the right, covered with a white robe, and they were stunned.

Note. in dextrīs: 'on the right' (literally 'among the right-hand parts'). stolā candidā: ablative with coopertum, 'covered with a white robe'.

Mc 16.6Quī dīcit illīs: Nōlīte expavēscere: Iēsum quaeritis Nazarēnum, crucifīxum: surrēxit, nōn est hīc, ecce locus ubi posuērunt eum.

He says to them: "Do not be terrified: you seek Jesus the Nazarene, the crucified one: he has risen, he is not here; look, the place where they put him.

Note. Nōlīte expavēscere: nōlīte + infinitive is the regular negative command, 'do not be afraid'. hīc is the adverb 'here', not the pronoun. ecce locus: 'here is the place', with est understood.

Mc 16.7Sed īte, dīcite discipulīs eius, et Petrō, quia praecēdit vōs in Galilaeam: ibi eum vidēbitis, sīcut dīxit vōbīs.

But go, say to his disciples and to Peter that he goes before you into Galilee: there you will see him, just as he said to you."

Note. īte, dīcite: imperatives. quia praecēdit vōs: quia introduces the message to be passed on, 'that he is going ahead of you'.

Mc 16.8At illae exeuntēs, fūgērunt dē monumentō: invāserat enim eās tremor et pavor: et nēminī quidquam dīxērunt: timēbant enim.

But they, going out, fled from the burial place: for shaking and dread had come over them: and to no one did they say anything: for they were fearing.

Note. nēminī quidquam dīxērunt: in Latin two negatives cancel, so the indefinite quidquam is used, 'they said nothing to anyone'. With this verse the oldest Greek manuscripts end the Gospel. The verses that follow (16:9-20, the 'longer ending') are in the Vulgate but are generally thought to be a later addition; they summarise appearances also told in the other Gospels.

Mc 16.9Surgēns autem māne prīmā sabbatī, appāruit prīmō Marīae Magdalēnē, dē quā ēiēcerat septem daemonia.

But rising in the morning on the first of the sabbath, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had thrown out seven demons.

Note. prīmā sabbatī: 'on the first (day) of the week'. dē quā ēiēcerat septem daemonia: 'from whom he had cast out seven demons'.

Mc 16.10Illa vādēns nūntiāvit hīs, quī cum eō fuerant, lūgentibus et flentibus.

She, going, reported it to these who had been with him, who were grieving and weeping.

Note. vādēns: 'going', from vādō, a verb that late Latin uses where classical Latin would use eō. lūgentibus et flentibus: dative participles agreeing with hīs, 'who were mourning and weeping'.

Mc 16.11Et illī audientēs quia vīveret, et vīsus esset ab eā, nōn crēdidērunt.

And they, hearing that he was living and had been seen by her, did not believe.

Note. audientēs quia vīveret: quia + subjunctive after a verb of hearing, again in place of the accusative and infinitive.

Mc 16.12Post haec autem duōbus ex hīs ambulantibus ostēnsus est in aliā effigiē, euntibus in vīllam:

But after these things he was shown in another likeness to two of them walking, as they were going into the countryside;

Note. ostēnsus est: 'he was shown', i.e. 'he appeared'. in aliā effigiē: 'in another form'. euntibus: dative present participle of eō, 'as they were going'.

Mc 16.13et illī euntēs nūntiāvērunt cēterīs: nec illīs crēdidērunt.

and they, going, reported it to the rest: nor did they believe those men.

Note. nec illīs crēdidērunt: crēdō takes a dative of the person believed.

Mc 16.14Novissimē recumbentibus illīs ūndecim appāruit: et exprobrāvit incrēdulitātem eōrum et dūritiam cordis: quia iīs, quī vīderant eum resurrēxisse, nōn crēdidērunt.

Finally, to the eleven as they reclined, he appeared: and he reproached their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen him to have risen again.

Note. Novissimē: 'last of all'. recumbentibus illīs ūndecim: 'to the eleven as they reclined (at table)'; diners reclined on couches. Eleven, because Judas was no longer among the twelve. quia ... nōn crēdidērunt: 'because they had not believed'.

Mc 16.15Et dīxit eīs: Euntēs in mundum ūniversum praedicāte Evangelium omnī creātūrae.

And he said to them: "Going into the entire world, preach the Gospel to every creature.

Note. Euntēs ... praedicāte: participle + imperative, 'go and preach'. omnī creātūrae: dative, 'to every creature'.

Mc 16.16Quī crēdiderit, et baptizātus fuerit, salvus erit: quī vērō nōn crēdiderit, condemnābitur.

He who will have believed and will have been baptized will be safe; but he who will not have believed will be condemned.

Note. Quī crēdiderit ... salvus erit: a future more vivid condition expressed with a relative clause; the future perfect (crēdiderit, baptizātus fuerit) marks what must happen first.

Mc 16.17Signa autem eōs quī crēdiderint, haec sequentur: in nōmine meō daemonia ēiicient: linguīs loquentur novīs:

But these signs will follow those who will have believed: in my name they will throw out demons; in new tongues they will speak;

Note. Signa ... eōs quī crēdiderint haec sequentur: the subject signa is placed first for emphasis and picked up by haec. ēiicient: a late spelling of ēicient.

Mc 16.18serpentēs tollent: et sī mortiferum quid biberint, nōn eīs nocēbit: super aegrōs manūs impōnent, et bene habēbunt.

serpents they will lift up; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; on the sick they will place hands, and they will be well."

Note. mortiferum quid: 'anything deadly'; after sī, quis/quid is the indefinite pronoun. bene habēbunt: 'they will be well', an idiom.

Mc 16.19Et Dominus quidem Iēsus postquam locūtus est eīs, assūmptus est in caelum, et sedet ā dextrīs Deī.

And the Lord Jesus indeed, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sits at the right of God.

Note. Dominus quidem Iēsus: 'the Lord Jesus, for his part'. assūmptus est in caelum: 'he was taken up into heaven'. ā dextrīs Deī: 'at the right hand of God', the place of honour.

Mc 16.20Illī autem profectī praedicāvērunt ubīque, Dominō cooperante, et sermōnem cōnfirmante, sequentibus signīs.

But they, setting out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word, the signs following.

Note. profectī: perfect participle of the deponent proficīscor. Dominō cooperante et sermōnem cōnfirmante: ablative absolute with two participles, 'while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message'. sequentibus signīs: a second ablative absolute, 'with signs following'.