Mark 9

¹And he said to them, “Truly I tell you that there are some of those standing here who will certainly not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God having already arrived in power.”

²Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves, alone. And his appearance was transformed before them; ³his clothes became radiantly white, a brilliance such as no cloth-bleacher on earth could ever produce. ⁴Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us set up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶(For he did not know what to say, because they were terrified.) ⁷Then a cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud: “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” ⁸Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, he strictly ordered them not to describe what they had seen to anyone, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰They kept the matter to themselves, debating what this “rising from the dead” meant. ¹¹They questioned him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹²He said to them, “Elijah does indeed come first to restore all things. And yet, how is it written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer many things and be treated with utter contempt? ¹³But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written about him.”

¹⁴When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵As soon as the whole crowd saw him, they were overwhelmed with awe and ran to greet him. ¹⁶He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” ¹⁷A man from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you; he has a spirit that makes him mute. ¹⁸Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they did not have the strength.” ¹⁹Jesus answered them, “O faithless generation, how long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions; he fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” The father said, “From childhood. ²²It has often thrown him into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us!” ²³Jesus said to him, “As for that ‘If you can’—all things are possible for the one who trusts.” ²⁴Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I trust! Help my lack of trust!”

²⁵When Jesus saw that a crowd was closing in, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” ²⁶After crying out and convulsing him violently, it came out. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He is dead.” ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him up, and he stood up. ²⁸After Jesus had gone into a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why were we not able to cast it out?” ²⁹He said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything except prayer.”

³⁰Leaving that place, they went through Galilee, and he did not want anyone to know it, ³¹for he was teaching his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man is being handed over into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and three days after being killed, he will rise.” ³²But they did not understand this statement and were afraid to ask him.

³³They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you debating on the road?” ³⁴But they kept silent, for on the road they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵Sitting down, he called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and a servant of all.” ³⁶He took a little child and had him stand in their midst; then, taking him into his arms, he said to them, ³⁷“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the One who sent me.”

³⁸John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.” ³⁹But Jesus said, “Do not stop him. For there is no one who will perform an act of power in my name and be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰For whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in the name that you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose his reward.

⁴²And whoever causes one of these little ones who trust in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a donkey-millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter Life maimed than to have two hands and go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. ⁴⁵And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter Life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into Gehenna. ⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to stumble, throw 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 Gehenna, ⁴⁸where ‘their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

⁴⁹For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”