Chapter 9

¹And he said to them, “I tell you, some of you who stand here will certainly live to see the reign of God come in its might.”

²Six days after this Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him, and led them up on a high mountain, off by themselves. And his appearance underwent a change in their presence, ³and his clothes shone whiter than any earthly bleaching could make them. ⁴And Elijah appeared to them, accompanied by Moses, and they talked with Jesus. ⁵Then Peter spoke, and said to Jesus,

“Master, how good it is that we are here! Let us put up three huts, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶For he did not know what to say, they were so frightened. ⁷And a cloud came and overshadowed them, and from the cloud came a voice,

“This is my Son, my Beloved. Listen to him,”

⁸And suddenly, on looking around, they saw that there was now no one with them but Jesus alone. ⁹As they were going down the mountain, he cautioned them to let no one know what they had seen, until the Son of Man should rise from the dead. ¹⁰And they did not forget what he said, but discussed with one another what he meant by the rising from the dead. ¹¹And they asked him,

“Why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?”

¹²He said to them,

“Elijah does come first, and reforms everything, and does not the Scripture say of the Son of Man that he will suffer much and be refused? ¹³Why, I tell you, not only has Elijah come, but people have treated him just as they pleased, as the Scripture says about him.”

¹⁴When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵And all the people were amazed when they saw him, and they ran up to him and greeted him. ¹⁶And he asked them,

“What are you discussing with them?”

¹⁷One of the crowd answered,

“Master, I brought my son to you, for he is possessed by a dumb spirit, ¹⁸and wherever it seizes him it convulses him, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth; and he is wasting away. I told your disciples to drive it out, and they could not do it.”

¹⁹He answered them and said,

“O you unbelieving people, how long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me!”

²⁰And they brought the boy to him. As soon as the spirit saw him, it convulsed the boy, and he fell down on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹Jesus asked the boy’s father,

“How long has he been like this?”

And he said,

²²“From his childhood, and many a time it has thrown him into the fire or into the water, to put an end to him. But if there is anything you can do, take pity on us and help us!”

²³Jesus said to him,

“ ‘If there is anything I can do!’ Everything is possible for one who has faith!”

²⁴The boy’s father immediately cried out,

“I have faith! Help my want of faith!”

²⁵Then Jesus, seeing that a crowd was rapidly gathering, reproved the foul spirit and said to it,

“You deaf and dumb spirit, get out of him, I charge you, and never enter him again!”

²⁶And it gave a cry and convulsed him terribly, and went out of him.

And the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said that he was dead. ²⁷But Jesus grasped his hand and made him rise, and he stood up. ²⁸When he had gone home, and his disciples were alone with him, they asked him,

“Why could not we drive it out?”

²⁹He said to them,

“This kind of thing can be driven out only by prayer.”

³⁰And they left that place and made their way through Galilee, and he did not wish anyone to know it; ³¹for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them,

“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and three days after he is killed he will rise again.”

³²But they did not understand what he meant, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

³³And they reached Capernaum. When he reached home, he asked them,

“What was it that you were discussing on the way?”

³⁴But they made no answer, for on the way they had been discussing with one another which of them was the greatest. ³⁵And he sat down and called the Twelve in, and said to them,

“If anyone wishes to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all.”

³⁶And he took a child and made him stand among them, and he put his arms around him, and said to them,

³⁷“Whoever welcomes one child like this on my account is welcoming me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not me but him who has sent me.”

³⁸John said to him,

“Master, we saw a man driving out demons with your name, and we told him not to do so, for he was not one of our followers.”

³⁹But Jesus said,

“Do not tell him not to do so, for there is no one who will use my name to do a mighty act, and be able soon after to abuse me. ⁴⁰For the man who is not against us is for us. ⁴¹For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink, on the ground that you belong to Christ, I tell you, will certainly not fail to be repaid. ⁴²And whoever causes one of these humble believers to fall might better have a great millstone hung around his neck and be thrown into the sea. ⁴³If your hand makes you fall, cut it off. You might better enter upon life maimed, than go with both your hands to the pit, into the fire that cannot be put out. ⁴⁵And if your foot makes you fall, cut it off. You might better enter upon life crippled, than be thrown with both your feet into the pit. ⁴⁷And if your eye makes you fall, tear it out. You might better get into the Kingdom of God with only one eye than be thrown with both your eyes into the pit, ⁴⁸where the worm that feeds upon them never dies and the fire is never put out. ⁴⁹Everyone must be seasoned with fire. ⁵⁰Salt is a good thing, but if salt loses its strength, what will you use to season it? You must have salt within you, and live in peace with one another.”