Luke 9
New Testament for Everyone
The Twelve sent out and the feeding of the five thousand
9 Jesus called together the Twelve, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them out to announce God’s kingdom and cure the sick.
3 “Don’t take anything for the journey,” he said to them, “no stick, no bag, no bread, no money, no second cloak. 4 Whenever you go into a house, stay there and leave from there. 5 If anyone won’t receive you, go out of that town and wipe the dust off your feet as evidence against them.”
6 So off they went, and traveled through the villages, announcing the good news and healing people everywhere.
7 Herod the Tetrarch heard what was going on, and was very puzzled. Some people were saying that John had been raised from the dead. 8 Others were saying that Elijah had appeared; still others, that one of the old prophets had arisen.
9 “I beheaded John,” said Herod, “but I keep hearing all these things about this other fellow. Who is he?” And he tried to get to see him.
10 The apostles returned and told Jesus what they had done. He took them off and went away privately to a town called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds discovered, they followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed it.
12 As the day wore on, the Twelve came to Jesus.
“Send the crowd away,” they said, “so that they can go into the villages and countryside nearby, find somewhere to stay, and get something to eat. We’re in quite a lonely spot here.”
13 “You give them something to eat,” he replied.
“All we’ve got here,” they said, “is five loaves and a couple of fishes—unless you mean we should go ourselves and buy food for all these people?” 14 (There were about five thousand men.)
“Get them to sit down,” Jesus said to them, “in groups of around fifty each.”
15 They did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Then Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven, blessed the food, divided it, and gave it to the disciples to pass around the crowd. 17 Everyone ate, and was satisfied. They took up twelve baskets of broken bits left over.
Peter’s declaration of Jesus’ messiahship
18 When Jesus was praying alone, his disciples gathered around him.
“Who do the crowds say I am?” he asked them.
19 “John the Baptist,” they responded. “And others say Elijah. Others say that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
20 “What about you?” said Jesus. “Who do you say I am?”
“God’s Messiah,” answered Peter.
21 He gave them strict and careful instructions not to tell this to anyone.
22 “The son of man,” he said, “must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and the chief priests, and the legal experts. He must be killed, and raised up on the third day.”
23 He then spoke to them all. “If any of you want to come after me,” he said, “you must say no to yourselves, and pick up your cross every day, and follow me. 24 If you want to save your life, you’ll lose it; but if you lose your life because of me, you’ll save it. 25 What good will it do you if you win the entire world, but lose or forfeit your own self? 26 If you’re ashamed of me and my words, the son of man will be ashamed of you, when he comes in the glory which belongs to him, and to the father, and to the holy angels.
27 “Let me tell you,” he concluded, “there are some standing here who won’t experience death until they see God’s kingdom.”
The transfiguration
28 About eight days after this conversation, Jesus took Peter, John and James and went up a mountain to pray. 29 And, as he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became shining white. 30 Two men appeared, talking with him: it was Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was going to fulfill in Jerusalem.
32 Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but they managed to stay awake. They saw his glory, and the two men who were standing there with him.
33 As they were going away from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah!” He didn’t know what he was saying; 34 but as the words were coming out of his mouth a cloud appeared and overshadowed them. They were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came from the cloud: “This is my son, my chosen one: listen to him.” 36 As the voice spoke, there was Jesus by himself. They kept silent, and told nobody at that time anything of what they had seen.
37 The next day, as they were going down from the mountain, a large crowd met them. 38 A man from the crowd shouted out, “Teacher! Please, please have a look at my son! He’s my only child, 39 and look what’s happening to him! A spirit seizes him, and suddenly it shrieks and convulses him, so that he foams at the mouth. It goes on savaging him, and it’s almost impossible to get it to leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they couldn’t.”
41 “You faithless and depraved generation!” said Jesus in reply. “How long shall I be with you and have to put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42 While he was on the way, the demon tore at him and threw him into convulsions. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. 43 Everyone was astonished at the greatness of God.
While they were all still expressing amazement at everything he had done, Jesus said to his disciples, 44 “Let these words go right down into your ears: the son of man is to be given over into human hands.” 45 They had no idea what he was talking about. It was hidden from them, so that they wouldn’t perceive it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had said.
The nature of discipleship
46 A dispute arose among them about which of them was the greatest. 47 Jesus knew this quarrel was going on in their hearts, so he took a child and stood it beside him.
48 “If you receive this child in my name,” he said, “you receive me. And anyone who receives me, receives the one who sent me. Whoever is the least among you—that’s the one who is great.”
49 “Master,” commented John, “we saw someone casting out demons in your name. We told him to stop, because he wasn’t part of our company.”
50 “Don’t stop him,” replied Jesus. “Anyone who isn’t against you is on your side.”
51 As the time came nearer for Jesus to be taken up, he settled it in his mind to go to Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers ahead of him. They came into a Samaritan village to get them ready, 53 and they refused to receive him, because his mind was set on going to Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Master, do you want us to call down fire from heaven and burn them up?” 55 He turned and rebuked them, 56 and they went on to another village.
57 As they were going along the road a man addressed Jesus.
“Wherever you’re going,” he said, “I’ll follow you!”
58 “Foxes have lairs,” Jesus replied, “and the birds in the sky have nests; but the son of man doesn’t have anywhere to lay his head.”
59 To another person he said, “Follow me.”
“Master,” he replied, “let me first go and bury my father.”
60 “Let the dead bury their dead,” said Jesus. “You must go and announce God’s kingdom.”
61 “I will follow you, Master,” said another, “but first let me say goodbye to the people at home.”
62 “Nobody,” replied Jesus, “who begins to plow and then looks over his shoulder is fit for God’s kingdom.”
Luke 9
International Standard Version
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(A)
9 Jesus[a] called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2 Then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them, “Don’t take anything along on your trip—no walking stick, traveling bag, bread, money, or even an extra shirt.[b] 4 When you visit a home and stay there, and go out from there, 5 if people don’t welcome you, when you leave that city, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they left and went from village to village, spreading the good news and healing diseases everywhere.
Herod Tries to See Jesus(B)
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about everything that was happening. He was puzzled because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, 8 by others that Elijah had appeared, and by still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. 9 Herod said, “I beheaded John. But who is this man I’m hearing so much about?” So Herod[c] kept trying to see Jesus.[d]
Jesus Feeds More than Five Thousand People(C)
10 The apostles came back and told Jesus[e] everything they had done. Then he took them away with him privately to a city called Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds found out about this and followed him. He welcomed them and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God and to heal those who needed healing.
12 As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away to the neighboring villages and farms so they can rest and get some food, because we are here in a deserted place.”
13 But he told them, “You give them something to eat.”
They replied, “We have nothing more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people.”
14 Now there were about 5,000 men. So he told his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about 50.” 15 They did this and got all of them seated. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed them. Then he broke the loaves in pieces and kept giving them to the disciples to pass on to the crowd. 17 All of them ate and were filled. When they collected the leftover pieces, there were twelve baskets.
Peter Declares His Faith in Jesus(D)
18 One day, while Jesus[f] was praying privately and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19 They answered, “Some say[g] John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others one of the ancient prophets who has come back to life.”
20 He asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
“God’s Messiah,”[h] Peter replied.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection(E)
21 He gave them strict orders, commanding them not to tell this to anyone. 22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he must be killed, but on the third day he will be raised.”
23 Then he told all of them, “If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross every day, and follow me continuously, 24 because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 What profit will a person have if he gains the whole world, but destroys himself or is lost? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and the glory of[i] the Father and the holy angels. 27 I tell you with certainty, some people who are standing here won’t experience[j] death until they see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus’ Appearance is Changed(F)
28 Now about eight days after Jesus said this,[k] he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray. 29 While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes turned dazzling white. 30 Suddenly, two men were talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah. 31 They had a glorified appearance, and were discussing Jesus’[l] departure that he would shortly bring about in Jerusalem.
32 Now Peter and the men with him had been overcome by sleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’[m] glory and the two men standing with him. 33 Just as Moses and Elijah[n] were leaving,[o] Peter told Jesus, “Master, it’s good that we’re here! Let’s set up three shelters[p]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Peter[q] didn’t know what he was saying.) 34 But while he was saying this, a cloud appeared and surrounded them, and they became terrified as they were being overshadowed by the cloud.
35 Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen.[r] Keep listening to him!” 36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was[s] alone. The disciples[t] kept silent and at that time[u] told no one about what they had seen.
Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon(G)
37 The next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus.[v] 38 Suddenly, a man in the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only living child.[w] 39 Without warning a spirit takes control of him, and he suddenly screams, goes into convulsions, and foams at the mouth. The spirit[x] mauls him and refuses to leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”
41 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverted generation! How much longer must I be with you[y] and put up with you?[z] Bring your[aa] son here!” 42 Even while the boy[ab] was coming, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection(H)
43 All the people continued to be amazed at the greatness of God. Indeed, everyone was astonished at all the things Jesus[ac] was doing. So he told his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to these words.[ad] The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” 45 But they didn’t know what this meant. Indeed, the meaning was hidden from them so that they didn’t understand it; and they were afraid to ask him about this statement.
True Greatness(I)
46 Later, an argument started among the disciples[ae] as to which of them might be the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing their inner thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he told them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, because the one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest.”
The Person who is Not against You is for You(J)
49 John said, “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn’t a follower like us.”
50 Jesus told him, “Don’t stop him! Because whoever is not against you is for you.”
A Samaritan Village Refuses to Welcome Jesus
51 When the days grew closer for Jesus[af] to be taken up to heaven,[ag] he was determined to continue his journey to Jerusalem. 52 So he sent messengers on ahead of him. On their way they went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. 53 But the people[ah] would not welcome him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John observed this rejection,[ai] they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”[aj] 55 But he turned and rebuked them,[ak] 56 and they all[al] went on to another village.
The Would-be Followers of Jesus(K)
57 While they were walking along the road, a man told him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus told him,
59 He told another man, “Follow me.”
But he said, “Lord,[ao] first let me go and bury my father.”
60 But he told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. But you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those at home.”
62 Jesus told him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Footnotes
- Luke 9:1 Lit. He
- Luke 9:3 Lit. two shirts
- Luke 9:9 Lit. he
- Luke 9:9 Lit. him
- Luke 9:10 Lit. him
- Luke 9:18 Lit. he
- Luke 9:19 The Gk. lacks Some say
- Luke 9:20 Or Christ
- Luke 9:26 Lit. and that of
- Luke 9:27 Lit. taste
- Luke 9:28 Lit. after these sayings
- Luke 9:31 Lit. his
- Luke 9:32 Lit. his
- Luke 9:33 Lit. Just as they
- Luke 9:33 Lit. leaving him
- Luke 9:33 Or tents
- Luke 9:33 Lit. He
- Luke 9:35 Other mss. read whom I love
- Luke 9:36 Lit. was found to be
- Luke 9:36 Lit. They
- Luke 9:36 Lit. in those days
- Luke 9:37 Lit. him
- Luke 9:38 Lit. uniquely existing one; cf. John 3:16; Luke 7:12, 8:42
- Luke 9:39 Lit. It
- Luke 9:41 The Gk. you is pl.
- Luke 9:41 The Gk. you is pl.
- Luke 9:41 The Gk. your is sing.
- Luke 9:42 Lit. he
- Luke 9:43 Lit. he
- Luke 9:44 Lit. Put these words into your ears
- Luke 9:46 Lit. among them
- Luke 9:51 Lit. for him
- Luke 9:51 The Gk. lacks to heaven
- Luke 9:53 Lit. they
- Luke 9:54 The Gk. lacks rejection
- Luke 9:54 Other mss. read them, as Elijah did?”
- Luke 9:55 Other mss. read them, saying, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you are! 56 For the son of man did not come to destroy the souls of men, but to save them.”
- Luke 9:56 The Gk. lacks all
- Luke 9:58 Lit. birds in the sky
- Luke 9:58 Lit. no place to lay his head
- Luke 9:59 Other mss. lack Lord
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
