Chapter 9

The Transfiguration

1 And Jesus was saying to them, “aTruly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

2 aSix days later, Jesus * took with Him bPeter and 1James and John, and * brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;

3 and aHis garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them.

4 Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.

5 Peter * said to Jesus, “aRabbi, it is good for us to be here; blet us make three 1tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

6 For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.

7 Then a cloud 1formed, overshadowing them, and aa voice 1came out of the cloud, “bThis is My beloved Son, 2listen to Him!”

8 All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.

9 aAs they were coming down from the mountain, He bgave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, 1until the Son of Man rose from the dead.

10 They 1seized upon 2that statement, discussing with one another 3what rising from the dead meant.

11 They asked Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that aElijah must come first?”

12 And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of athe Son of Man that bHe will suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

13 “But I say to you that Elijah has 1indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”

All Things Possible

14 aWhen they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.

15 Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were aamazed and began running up to greet Him.

16 And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?”

17 And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute;

18 and 1whenever it seizes him, it 2slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and 3stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”

19 And He * answered them and * said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”

20 They brought 1the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.

21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.

22 “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”

23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ aAll things are possible to him who believes.”

24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

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.”