Mark 9:25–50

25 When Jesus saw that aa crowd was 1rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I 2command you, come out of him and do not enter him 3again.”

26 After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!”

27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.

28 When He came ainto the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?”

29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

Death and Resurrection Foretold

30 aFrom there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it.

31 For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “aThe Son of Man is to be 1delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.”

32 But athey 1did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.

33 aThey came to Capernaum; and when He 1was in bthe house, He began to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?”

34 But they kept silent, for on the way athey had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.

35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and * said to them, “aIf anyone wants to be first, 1he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

36 Taking a child, He set him 1before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them,

37 “aWhoever receives 1one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

Dire Warnings

38 aJohn said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and bwe tried to prevent him because he was not following us.”

39 But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.

40 “aFor he who is not against us is 1for us.

41 “For awhoever gives you a cup of water to drink 1because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

42 “aWhoever causes one of these 1little ones who believe to stumble, it 2would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he 3had been cast into the sea.

43 “aIf your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into 1bhell, into the cunquenchable fire,

44 [1where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]

45 “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into 1ahell,

46 [1where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]

47 “aIf your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into 1bhell,

48 awhere their worm does not die, and bthe fire is not quenched.

49 “For everyone will be salted with fire.

50 “Salt is good; but aif the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you 1make it salty again? bHave salt in yourselves, and cbe at peace with one another.”