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BibleStudyIt Mark 9

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Three disciples see how great Jesus is

9 Jesus then said to them, ‘I tell you this: Some people who are standing here will see God begin to rule in his kingdom with great power. They will see that before they die.’

2 Six days after that, Jesus asked Peter, James and John to go with him. Jesus led them up a high mountain, where they were alone together. Peter, James and John saw Jesus change in front of them. 3 His clothes became very white; they were shining. They were a brighter white than anyone on earth could wash them. 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared in front of the three disciples. Elijah and Moses were talking with Jesus. [ a ] [ b ]

5 So Peter said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, it is good that we are here. Please let us build three huts. One hut will be for you. One hut will be for Moses. And one hut will be for Elijah.’ 6 Peter did not really know what to say. That was because the three disciples were very afraid. [ c ]

7 Then a cloud appeared and it covered them all. A voice spoke from the cloud and it said, ‘This is my Son, and I love him. Listen to him.’

8 At that moment, the three disciples looked around. They saw that nobody else was there now. Only Jesus was there with them.

9 While they were walking down the mountain, Jesus said to the three disciples, ‘You must not tell anyone now about the things that you have just seen. One day the Son of Man will become alive again after his death. Then you can tell people about these things.’ 10 The three disciples kept these words secret. But they talked together about the words, ‘become alive again after his death’. They asked each other, ‘What does this mean?’

11 Then the three disciples asked Jesus, ‘Why do the teachers of God's Law say that God's prophet Elijah must return first, before the Messiah comes?’

12 Jesus said to them, ‘Elijah does come first. He makes everything ready. But what is written in the Bible about the Son of Man? It says that people will cause him to suffer a lot. They will think that he is nothing. [ d ] 13 But I tell you that Elijah has already come. [ e ] People did to him everything that they wanted to do. The Bible already showed that those things would happen to him.’

Jesus helps a boy who has a bad spirit

14 They reached the place where the other disciples were. They saw that there was a large crowd there with them. Some teachers of God's Law were arguing with the disciples. 15 The people in the crowd saw Jesus and immediately they were very surprised. They ran to say ‘hello’ to Jesus.

16 Jesus asked his disciples, ‘What are you arguing about with the teachers of God's Law?’

17 A man in the crowd answered. He said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, I brought my son to you. He is not able to speak because he has a bad spirit. 18 When the bad spirit takes hold of him, it throws him to the ground. Water comes out of his mouth and he bites his teeth together. Then his body stops moving. I asked your disciples to send the spirit out of him. But they were not able to do it.’

19 Jesus replied, ‘You people today still do not believe in God. I have been with you for a long time and still you do not believe. It is difficult for me to be patient with you. Bring the boy to me.’

20 So the people brought the boy to Jesus. When the bad spirit saw Jesus, it immediately caused the boy's body to shake strongly. The boy fell onto the ground and he rolled about. Water was coming from his mouth.

21 Jesus asked the boy's father, ‘How long has he been like this?’

‘He has been like this since he was a small boy,’ the father replied. 22 ‘Often the spirit has caused him to fall into the fire or into water. It is trying to kill him. Please be kind to us. If you can do anything, help us!’

23 Jesus said to the father, ‘You should not say, “If you can do anything.” Everything is possible for those people who believe.’

24 Immediately, the boy's father shouted, ‘Oh! I believe! Help me to believe more!’

25 Jesus saw that the crowd of people was quickly becoming bigger. So he told the bad spirit to stop. Jesus said to it, ‘Spirit, I am telling you that you must leave this boy. He cannot hear or speak because of you. I tell you to come out of him! You must never go into him again.’

26 The spirit screamed. It caused the boy's body to shake many times. Then it came out of him. The boy seemed to be dead, so many people said, ‘He is dead.’ 27 But Jesus held the boy's hand and he helped the boy to stand up.

28 Jesus went into a house and the disciples were alone with him. Then they asked him, ‘Why could we not cause the bad spirit to leave the boy?’

29 Jesus said to them, ‘You must pray. This kind of spirit will not leave a person unless you pray.’

30 Jesus and his disciples left that place. They passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where he was. 31 That was because he was teaching his disciples. He told them, ‘Soon, they will give the Son of Man to powerful people. They will take him away and they will kill him. But three days after that, he will become alive again.’ 32 The disciples did not understand what Jesus had said. But they were afraid to ask him.

Jesus explains who will be the most important person

33 Jesus and his disciples arrived at Capernaum. When they were in the house, Jesus asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ 34 But they did not say anything. They did not want to tell Jesus why they were arguing. On the way, they had argued about who was the most important disciple.

35 Jesus sat down. He told the 12 apostles to come to him. Then he said to them, ‘If you want to be the leader, make yourself less important than everyone else. You must become the servant of everyone.’

36 Then Jesus brought a child to stand in the middle of them all. He took hold of the child and he said to the disciples, 37 ‘If someone accepts a child like this because of me, then that person also accepts me. If he accepts me, then he is not only accepting me. He is also accepting my Father God, who sent me.’ [ f ]

38 John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw a man who was causing bad spirits to go out of people. He was using your authority to do it. But he is not in our group. So we told him that he must not do it.’

39 ‘Do not tell him to stop,’ Jesus said. ‘That man is using my authority to do powerful things. Someone who does that cannot immediately say anything bad about me. 40 If someone is not against us, he is working to help us. 41 Somebody may give you a cup of water because you are a servant of the Messiah. I tell you this: God will bless that person and he will never lose God's help.

42 A person who believes in me may not seem important. But you should never make that person do wrong things. Do not do that! It would be better if someone tied a big stone around your neck and then he threw you into the sea!

43-44 If your hand causes you to do wrong things, you should cut it off. [ g ] You will only have one hand, but you can have God's true life. It will be much worse for you if you keep both your hands and go to hell. There, the fire always burns and never stops. 45-46 If your foot causes you to do wrong things, you should cut it off. You will only have one foot, but you can have God's true life. It will be much worse if you keep your two feet and go to hell. 47 If your eye causes you to do wrong things, then you should remove it. Then you will only have one eye, but you can go into the kingdom of God. It will be much worse if you keep both your eyes and God throws you into hell.

48 “In hell, the worms do not die,
and the fire never goes out.” [ h ] [ i ]

49 God will put fire on everybody, as people put salt on food. [ j ] 50 Salt is good. But if your salt is not salty any more, you cannot make it salty again. You should be like good salt and love each other. Do not cause trouble among yourselves.’

Footnotes

  1. 9:4 Moses had lived a long time before Jesus. He was a leader of God's people. He died about 1400 years before Jesus was born. We can read about Moses in the book of Exodus.
  2. 9:4 Elijah was one of God's special servants who spoke God's messages to the people. He lived about 850 years before Jesus was born. He was still alive when God took him up to live in heaven. We can read about Elijah in 1 Kings.
  3. 9:6 Peter and his friends wanted to build the huts so that these important people could stay with them longer. But God did not want them to remain on the mountain. God sent these two men to talk to Jesus. They talked about the things that would happen in Jerusalem. Jesus would die on a cross there. See Luke 9:31 .
  4. 9:12 See 1 Kings 19:1-3
  5. 9:13 When Jesus talked to them about Elijah, he was also talking about John the Baptist. Herod did cruel things to John. See Mark 6:14-28
  6. 9:37 Jesus loved children. And he showed his disciples that a child is important to God. We should also love people who do not seem important.
  7. 9:43-44 Jesus does not want his disciples to cut their bodies. But it is very important for them not to do wrong things. That is what Jesus is telling them.
  8. 9:48 See Isaiah 66:24 . These worms live in dead bodies.
  9. 9:48 Some old copies of the Bible repeat the words of verse 48 in verse 44 and in verse 46.
  10. 9:49 The fire will show what is good in everyone's lives.

9 Then Jesus said, “Believe me when I say that some of you people standing here will see God’s kingdom come with power before you die.”

Jesus Is Seen With Moses and Elijah ( A )

2 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John and went up on a high mountain. They were all alone there. While these followers watched him, Jesus was changed. 3 His clothes became shining white—whiter than anyone on earth could make them. 4 Then two men were there talking with Jesus. They were Elijah and Moses.

5 Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good that we are here. We will put three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 Peter did not know what to say, because he and the other two followers were so afraid.

7 Then a cloud came and covered them. A voice came from the cloud and said, “This is my Son, the one I love. Obey him!”

8 The followers looked, but they saw only Jesus there alone with them.

9 As Jesus and the followers were walking back down the mountain, he gave them these instructions: “Don’t tell anyone about what you saw on the mountain. Wait until after the Son of Man rises from death. Then you can tell people what you saw.”

10 So the followers waited to say anything about what they saw. But they discussed among themselves what Jesus meant about rising from death. 11 They asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come [ a ] first?”

12 Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah must come first. Elijah makes all things the way they should be. But why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man will suffer much and that people will think he is worth nothing? 13 I tell you that Elijah has already come. And people did to him all the bad things they wanted to do. The Scriptures said this would happen to him.”

Jesus Frees a Boy From an Evil Spirit ( B )

14 Then Jesus, Peter, James, and John went to the other followers. They saw many people around them. The teachers of the law were arguing with the followers. 15 When the people saw Jesus, they were very surprised and ran to welcome him.

16 Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about with the teachers of the law?”

17 A man answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He is controlled by an evil spirit that keeps him from talking. 18 The spirit attacks him and throws him on the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they could not.”

19 Jesus answered, “You people today don’t believe! How long must I stay with you? How long must I be patient with you? Bring the boy to me!”

20 So the followers brought the boy to Jesus. When the evil spirit saw Jesus, it attacked the boy. The boy fell down and rolled on the ground. He was foaming at the mouth.

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

The father answered, “Since he was very young. 22 The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him. If you can do anything, please have pity on us and help us.”

23 Jesus said to the father, “Why did you say ‘if you can’? All things are possible for the one who believes.”

24 Immediately the father shouted, “I do believe. Help me to believe more!”

25 Jesus saw that all the people were running there to see what was happening. So he spoke to the evil spirit. He said, “You evil spirit that makes this boy deaf and stops him from talking—I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!”

26 The evil spirit screamed. It caused the boy to fall on the ground again, and then it came out. The boy looked as if he was dead. Many people said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took hold of his hand and helped him stand up.

28 Then Jesus went into the house. His followers were alone with him there. They said, “Why weren’t we able to force that evil spirit out?”

29 Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can be forced out only with prayer. [ b ]

Jesus Talks About His Death ( C )

30 Then Jesus and his followers left there and went through Galilee. Jesus did not want the people to know where they were. 31 He wanted to teach his followers alone. He said to them, “The Son of Man will be handed over to the control of other men, who will kill him. After three days, he will rise from death.” 32 But the followers did not understand what he meant, and they were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest? ( D )

33 Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. They went into a house, and Jesus said to them, “I heard you arguing on the way here today. What were you arguing about?” 34 But the followers did not answer, because their argument on the road was about which one of them was the greatest.

35 Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. He said, “Whoever wants to be the most important must make others more important than themselves. They must serve everyone else.”

36 Then Jesus took a small child and stood the child in front of the followers. He held the child in his arms and said, 37 “Whoever accepts children like these in my name is accepting me. And anyone who accepts me is also accepting the one who sent me.”

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is For Us ( E )

38 Then John said, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of someone. He is not one of us. So we told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group.”

39 Jesus said, “Don’t stop him. Whoever uses my name to do powerful things will not soon say bad things about me. 40 Whoever is not against us is with us. 41 I can assure you that anyone who helps you by giving you a drink of water because you belong to the Messiah will definitely get a reward.

Jesus Warns About Causes of Sin ( F )

42 “If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to sin, it will be very bad for that person. It would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the sea. 43 If your hand makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to lose part of your body and have eternal life than to have two hands and go to hell. There the fire never stops. 44 [ c ] 45 If your foot makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to lose part of your body and have eternal life than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 46 [ d ] 47 If your eye makes you sin, take it out. It is better for you to have only one eye and enter God’s kingdom than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. 48 The worms that eat the people in hell never die. The fire there is never stopped.

49 “Everyone will be salted with fire. [ e ]

50 “Salt is good. But if it loses its salty taste, you can’t make it good again. So, don’t lose that good quality of salt you have. And live in peace with each other.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 9:11 Elijah must come See Mal. 4:5-6.
  2. Mark 9:29 prayer Some Greek copies have “prayer and fasting.”
  3. Mark 9:44 Some Greek copies add verse 44, which is the same as verse 48.
  4. Mark 9:46 Some Greek copies add verse 46, which is the same as verse 48.
  5. Mark 9:49 Some Greek copies add, “and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.” In the Old Testament salt was put on sacrifices. This verse could mean that Jesus’ followers will be tested by suffering and that they must offer themselves to God as sacrifices.

9 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.

3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.

7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.

9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?

12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.

15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.

16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?

17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

30 And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it.

31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,

37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

40 For he that is not against us is on our part.

41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

The Transfiguration

9 And Jesus was saying to them, ( A ) Truly 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 when it has come with power.”

2 ( B ) And six days later Jesus *took with Him ( C ) Peter, [ a ] James, and John, and *brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was [ b ] transfigured before them; 3 and ( D ) His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter responded and *said to Jesus, “ ( E ) Rabbi, it is good that we are here; ( F ) let’s make three [ c ] tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know how to reply; for they became terrified. 7 Then a cloud [ d ] formed, overshadowing them, and ( G ) a voice [ e ] came out of the cloud: “ ( H ) This is My beloved Son; [ f ] listen to Him!” 8 And suddenly they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.

9 ( I ) As they were coming down from the mountain, He ( J ) gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, [ g ] until the Son of Man rose from the dead. 10 They [ h ] seized upon [ i ] that statement, discussing with one another [ j ] what rising from the dead meant. 11 And they asked Him, saying, “ Why is it that the scribes say that ( K ) Elijah must come first?” 12 And He said to them, “Elijah does come first and he restores all things. And yet how is it written of ( L ) the Son of Man that ( M ) He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has [ k ] indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written of him.”

All Things Possible

14 ( N ) And when they came back to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15 Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were ( O ) amazed and began running up to greet Him. 16 And He asked them, “What are you disputing with them?” 17 And one person from the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, because he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; 18 and [ l ] whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes stiff. And I told Your disciples so that they would cast it out, but 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 And they brought [ m ] the boy to Him. When he saw Him, the spirit immediately threw him into convulsions, 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 kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23 But Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ ( P ) All things are possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that ( Q ) a crowd was [ n ] rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I [ o ] command you, come out of him and do not enter him [ p ] again!” 26 And 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 ( R ) into the house, His disciples began asking Him privately, “ Why is it that we could not cast it out?” 29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything except prayer.”

Death and Resurrection Foretold

30 ( S ) And from 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, ( T ) The Son of Man is to be [ q ] handed over to men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” 32 But ( U ) they [ r ] did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.

33 ( V ) They came to Capernaum; and when He was in ( W ) the house, He began to question them: “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way ( X ) they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 And sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, ( Y ) If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And He took a child and placed him among them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 ( Z ) Whoever [ s ] receives [ t ] one child like this in My name [ u ] receives Me; and whoever [ v ] receives Me does not [ w ] receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

Dire Warnings

38 ( AA ) John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and ( AB ) we 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 ( AC ) For the one who is not against us is [ x ] for us. 41 For ( AD ) whoever gives you a cup of water to drink [ y ] because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.

42 ( AE ) Whoever causes one of these [ z ] little ones who believe in Me to [ aa ] sin, it is better for him if a heavy millstone is hung around his neck and he [ ab ] is thrown into the sea. 43 And ( AF ) if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed, than, having your two hands, to go into [ ac ] ( AG ) hell, into the ( AH ) unquenchable fire. [ ad ] 45 And if your foot is causing you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life without a foot, than, having your two feet, to be thrown into [ ae ] ( AI ) hell. [ af ] 47 And ( AJ ) if your eye is causing you to sin, throw it away; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be thrown into [ ag ] ( AK ) hell, 48 ( AL ) where their worm does not die, and ( AM ) the fire is not extinguished . 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but ( AN ) if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you [ ah ] make it salty again ? ( AO ) Have salt in yourselves, and ( AP ) be at peace with one another.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 9:2 Or Jacob
  2. Mark 9:2 I.e., visibly changed
  3. Mark 9:5 Or sacred tents
  4. Mark 9:7 Lit occurred
  5. Mark 9:7 Lit occurred
  6. Mark 9:7 Or give constant heed
  7. Mark 9:9 Lit except when
  8. Mark 9:10 Or kept to themselves
  9. Mark 9:10 Lit the word
  10. Mark 9:10 Lit what was the rising from the dead
  11. Mark 9:13 Lit even
  12. Mark 9:18 Or wherever
  13. Mark 9:20 Lit him
  14. Mark 9:25 Lit running together
  15. Mark 9:25 Or Myself command
  16. Mark 9:25 Or from now on
  17. Mark 9:31 Or betrayed
  18. Mark 9:32 Lit were not knowing
  19. Mark 9:37 Or welcomes
  20. Mark 9:37 Lit one of such children
  21. Mark 9:37 Or welcomes
  22. Mark 9:37 Or welcomes
  23. Mark 9:37 Or welcome
  24. Mark 9:40 Or on our side
  25. Mark 9:41 Lit in a name that you are Christ’s
  26. Mark 9:42 Or lowly
  27. Mark 9:42 Or stumble
  28. Mark 9:42 Lit has been thrown (intensified)
  29. Mark 9:43 Gr Gehenna
  30. Mark 9:43 Late mss repeat v 48 here as v 44
  31. Mark 9:45 Gr Gehenna
  32. Mark 9:45 Late mss repeat v 48 here as v 46; cf. note 2 v 43
  33. Mark 9:47 Gr Gehenna
  34. Mark 9:50 Lit season it

9 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come ( A ) with power.” ( B )

The Transfiguration ( C ) ( D )

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John ( E ) with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, ( F ) whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, ( G ) it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: ( H ) “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” ( I )

8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone ( J ) what they had seen until the Son of Man ( K ) had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.

11 And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

12 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man ( L ) must suffer much ( M ) and be rejected? ( N ) 13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, ( O ) and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit ( P )

14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. ( Q )

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” ( R )

24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, ( S ) he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, ( T ) “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer. [ a ]

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time ( U )

30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man ( V ) is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, ( W ) and after three days ( X ) he will rise.” ( Y ) 32 But they did not understand what he meant ( Z ) and were afraid to ask him about it.

33 They came to Capernaum. ( AA ) When he was in the house, ( AB ) he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. ( AC )

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” ( AD )

36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, ( AE ) he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” ( AF )

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us ( AG )

38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” ( AH )

39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. ( AI ) 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. ( AJ )

Causing to Stumble

42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, ( AK ) it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. ( AL ) 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, ( AM ) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, ( AN ) where the fire never goes out. ( AO ) [44] [ b ] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, ( AP ) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ( AQ ) [46] [ c ] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, ( AR ) pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ( AS ) 48 where

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’ [ d ] ( AT )

49 Everyone will be salted ( AU ) with fire.

50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? ( AV ) Have salt among yourselves, ( AW ) and be at peace with each other.” ( AX )

Footnotes

  1. Mark 9:29 Some manuscripts prayer and fasting
  2. Mark 9:44 Some manuscripts include here the words of verse 48.
  3. Mark 9:46 Some manuscripts include here the words of verse 48.
  4. Mark 9:48 Isaiah 66:24