Matthew 17
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
17 And six days after this, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.
2 And His appearance underwent a change in their presence; and His face shone [a]clear and bright like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light.
3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, who kept talking with Him.
4 Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good and delightful that we are here; if You approve, I will put up three booths here—one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a shining cloud [[b]composed of light] overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is My Son, My Beloved, with Whom I am [and [c]have always been] delighted. Listen to Him!(A)
6 When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were [d]seized with alarm and struck with fear.
7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, Get up, and do not be afraid.
8 And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 And as they were going down the mountain, Jesus cautioned and commanded them, Do not mention to anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.
10 The disciples asked Him, Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?
11 He replied, Elijah does come and will get everything restored and ready.
12 But I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know or recognize him, but did to him as they liked. So also the Son of Man is going to be treated and suffer at their hands.
13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist.(B)
14 And when they approached the multitude, a man came up to Him, kneeling before Him and saying,
15 Lord, do pity and have mercy on my son, for he has epilepsy (is [e]moonstruck) and he suffers terribly; for frequently he falls into the fire and many times into the water.
16 And I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to cure him.
17 And Jesus answered, O you unbelieving ([f]warped, wayward, rebellious) and [g]thoroughly perverse generation! How long am I to remain with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to Me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked privately, Why could we not drive it out?
20 He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of [h]firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [[i]that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
21 [j]But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.
22 When they were going about here and there in Galilee, Jesus said to them, The Son of Man is going to be turned over into the hands of men.
23 And they will kill Him, and He will be raised [to life] again on the third day. And they were deeply and exceedingly grieved and distressed.
24 When they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the half shekel [the temple tax] went up to Peter and said, Does not your Teacher pay the half shekel?(C)
25 He answered, Yes. And when he came home, Jesus spoke to him [about it] first, saying, What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly rulers collect duties or tribute—from their own sons or from others [k]not of their own family?
26 And when Peter said, From other people [l]not of their own family, Jesus said to him, Then the sons are exempt.
27 However, in order not to give offense and cause them to stumble [that is, to cause them [m]to judge unfavorably and unjustly] go down to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find there a shekel. Take it and give it to them to pay the temple tax for Me and for yourself.
Footnotes
- Matthew 17:2 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
- Matthew 17:5 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 17:5 Charles B. Williams, The New Testament: A Translation: “suggested by the aorist (past) tense.”
- Matthew 17:6 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 17:15 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon: “Epilepsy is supposed to return and increase with the increase of the moon.”
- Matthew 17:17 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 17:17 Literally, “throughout” (dia).
- Matthew 17:20 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
- Matthew 17:20 Charles B. Williams, The New Testament: A Translation.
- Matthew 17:21 Some manuscripts do not contain this verse.
- Matthew 17:25 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 17:26 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 17:27 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
Matthew 17
Living Bible
17 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John to the top of a high and lonely hill, 2 and as they watched, his appearance changed so that his face shone like the sun and his clothing became dazzling white.
3 Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared and were talking with him. 4 Peter blurted out, “Sir, it’s wonderful that we can be here! If you want me to, I’ll make three shelters,[a] one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5 But even as he said it, a bright cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, and I am wonderfully pleased with him. Obey him.”[b]
6 At this the disciples fell face downward to the ground, terribly frightened. 7 Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said, “don’t be afraid.”
8 And when they looked, only Jesus was with them.
9 As they were going down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after he had risen from the dead.
10 His disciples asked, “Why do the Jewish leaders insist Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?”[c]
11 Jesus replied, “They are right. Elijah must come and set everything in order. 12 And, in fact, he has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and was badly mistreated by many. And I, the Messiah,[d] shall also suffer at their hands.”
13 Then the disciples realized he was speaking of John the Baptist.
14 When they arrived at the bottom of the hill, a huge crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, 15 “Sir, have mercy on my son, for he is mentally deranged and in great trouble, for he often falls into the fire or into the water; 16 so I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t cure him.”
17 Jesus replied, “Oh, you stubborn, faithless people! How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy and it left him, and from that moment the boy was well.
19 Afterwards the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast that demon out?”
20 “Because of your little faith,” Jesus told them. “For if you had faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would go far away. Nothing would be impossible. 21 But this kind of demon won’t leave unless you have prayed and gone without food.”[e]
22-23 One day while they were still in Galilee, Jesus told them, “I am going to be betrayed into the power of those who will kill me, and on the third day afterwards I will be brought back to life again.” And the disciples’ hearts were filled with sorrow and dread.
24 On their arrival in Capernaum, the Temple tax collectors came to Peter and asked him, “Doesn’t your master pay taxes?”
25 “Of course he does,” Peter replied.
Then he went into the house to talk to Jesus about it, but before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings levy assessments against their own people or against conquered foreigners?”
26-27 “Against the foreigners,” Peter replied.
“Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free! However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the shore and throw in a line, and open the mouth of the first fish you catch. You will find a coin to cover the taxes for both of us; take it and pay them.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 17:4 three shelters, literally, “three tabernacles” or “tents.” What was in Peter’s mind is not explained.
- Matthew 17:5 Obey him, literally, “Hear him.”
- Matthew 17:10 Elijah must return before the Messiah comes, implied. Literally, “that Elijah must come first.”
- Matthew 17:12 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- Matthew 17:21 This verse is omitted in many of the ancient manuscripts.
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