God’s lament over Judah’s destruction

¹⁴ The Lord proclaims: The evil nations have seized the land^[e] that I gave my people Israel. I’m going to dig them up from their own lands, and I will dig up the people of Judah from among them. ¹⁵ And after I have dug them up, I will again have compassion on them and restore their inheritance and their land. ¹⁶ And then, if they will learn the ways of my people, to make a solemn pledge in my name, “As the Lord lives,” just as they once taught my people to swear to Baal, then they will be built up in the midst of my people. ¹⁷ But if they don’t listen, I will dig up that nation; yes, I will dig up and destroy, declares the Lord.

Jesus’ transformation

17 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain. ² He was transformed in front of them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.

³ Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. ⁴ Peter reacted to all of this by saying to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I’ll make three shrines: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵ While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son whom I dearly love. I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!” ⁶ Hearing this, the disciples fell on their faces, filled with awe.

⁷ But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” ⁸ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anybody about the vision until the Human One^[a] is raised from the dead.”

¹⁰ The disciples asked, “Then why do the legal experts say that Elijah must first come?”

¹¹ Jesus responded, “Elijah does come first and will restore all things. ¹² In fact, I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they didn’t know him. But they did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way the Human One^[b] is also going to suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples realized he was telling them about John the Baptist.

Healing of a boy who was demon-possessed

¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man met Jesus. He knelt before him, ¹⁵ saying, “Lord, show mercy to my son. He is epileptic and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire or the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered, “You faithless and crooked generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” ¹⁸ Then Jesus spoke harshly to the demon. And it came out of the child, who was healed from that time on.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and said, “Why couldn’t we throw the demon out?”

²⁰ “Because you have little faith,” he said. “I assure you that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Go from here to there,’ and it will go. There will be nothing that you can’t do.”^[c]

Second prediction of Jesus’ death and resurrection

²² When the disciples came together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Human One^[d] is about to be delivered over into human hands. ²³ They will kill him. But he will be raised on the third day.” And they were heartbroken.

Paying the temple tax

²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, the people who collected the half-shekel temple tax came to Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

²⁵ “Yes,” he said.

But when they came into the house, Jesus spoke to Peter first.“What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect taxes, from their children or from strangers?”

²⁶ “From strangers,” he said.

Jesus said to him, “Then the children don’t have to pay. ²⁷ But just so we don’t offend them, go to the lake, throw out a fishing line and hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a shekel coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”