Luke 9
Expanded Bible
Jesus Sends Out the Apostles(A)
9 Jesus called ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve] together and gave them power and authority ·over all [to cast out] demons and the ability to heal ·sicknesses [diseases]. 2 He sent the ·apostles [L them] out to ·tell about [preach; proclaim] God’s kingdom and to heal the sick. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your ·trip [journey], neither a ·walking stick [staff], ·bag [or beggar’s bag], ·bread [food], money, or ·extra clothes [L two shirts/tunics]. 4 When you enter a house, stay there ·until it is time to leave [L and depart from there; C probably to avoid temptation to move to better accommodations]. 5 If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off of your feet [C a sign of rejection and coming judgment] as you leave the town, as a ·warning to [testimony/evidence against] them.”
6 So the apostles went out and traveled ·through all the towns [from town to town], ·preaching [proclaiming] the ·Good News [Gospel] and healing people everywhere.
Herod Is Confused About Jesus(B)
7 [L Now; But] Herod, the ·governor [L tetrarch; C Herod Antipas; 3:1], heard about all the things that were happening and was ·confused [puzzled; perplexed], because some people said, “·John the Baptist [L John] has risen from the dead.” 8 Others said, “Elijah has ·come to us [reappeared; L appeared; C some Jews expected Elijah to return in the end times; Mal. 4:5].” And still others said, “One of the prophets who lived long ago has ·risen from the dead [or appeared once again; L arisen].” 9 Herod said, “I ·cut off John’s head [had John beheaded], so who is this man I hear such things about?” And Herod kept trying to see Jesus.
More than Five Thousand Fed(C)
10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then Jesus took them with him to a town called Bethsaida where they could be alone together. 11 But the ·people [crowds] learned where Jesus went and followed him. He welcomed them and talked with them about God’s kingdom and healed those who needed to be healed.
12 Late in the afternoon, ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve] came to Jesus and said, “Send the ·people [crowd] away. They need to go to the ·towns [villages] and countryside around here and find places to sleep and something to eat, because ·no one lives in this [L we are in a remote/deserted] place.”
13 But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
They said, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish, unless we go buy food for all these people.” 14 (There were about five thousand men there.)
Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “Tell the people to sit in groups of about fifty people.”
15 So ·the followers [L they] did this, and all the people sat down. 16 Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he ·thanked God for [L blessed] the food. Then he ·divided the food [broke it into pieces] and gave it to the ·followers [disciples] to ·give to [distribute to; L set before] the people. 17 They all ate and were ·satisfied [filled], and what was left over was gathered up, filling twelve baskets.
Jesus Is the Christ(D)
18 One time when Jesus was praying alone, his ·followers [disciples] were with him, and he asked them, “Who do the ·people [crowds] say I am?”
19 They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah [see 9:8; 1 Kin. 17]. And others say you are one of the prophets from long ago who has ·come back to life [risen/appeared again].”
20 Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are ·the Christ from God [God’s Messiah; the Messiah sent from God].”
Jesus Speaks of His Crucifixion(E)
21 Jesus ·warned [sternly commanded] them not to tell anyone, saying, 22 “The Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the Jewish elders, the ·leading [T chief] priests, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. He will be killed and ·after three days [L on the third day] will be raised from the dead.”
23 Jesus said to all of them, “If ·people want [L anyone wants] to follow me, they must ·give up the things they want [deny themselves; set aside their own interests]. They must ·be willing to give up their lives [L take up their cross] daily and follow me. 24 [L For] Those who want to save their lives will ·give up true life [L lose their life/soul; C Greek psychē can mean “life” or “soul”]. But those who ·give up [lose; sacrifice] their lives for ·me [my sake] will ·have true life [save their lives/souls]. 25 ·It is worthless [L What good/profit/benefit is it…?] to ·have [gain] the whole world if they themselves are destroyed or lost. 26 ·If people are [L For whoever is] ashamed of me and my ·teaching [message; words], then the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and with the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some people standing here will not ·die [L taste death] before they see the kingdom of God.” [C “Seeing the kingdom of God” may refer to the Transfiguration which follows (9:28–36), Jesus’ resurrection, or the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70.]
The Transfiguration on the Mountain(F)
28 About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, John, and James and went up on a mountain to pray. 29 While Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face ·changed [was altered], and his clothes ·became shining white [or flashed white like lightning]. 30 Then [L look; T behold] two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with Jesus. [C God had given the Law through Moses, and Elijah was an important prophet (see 9:8); together they signify that Jesus fulfills the OT.] 31 They appeared in ·heavenly glory [L glory], talking about his departure [C Greek: exodos, perhaps recalling the Exodus from Egypt, and referring to Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension] which he ·would soon bring about [L was about to fulfill/accomplish] in Jerusalem. 32 [L Now; But] Peter and the others were ·very sleepy [L weighed down with sleep], but when they awoke fully, they saw the glory of Jesus and the two men standing with him. 33 When Moses and Elijah were ·about to leave [L leaving him], Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three ·tents [shelters; shrines; tabernacles; Lev. 23:42]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [C Perhaps Peter wanted to prolong their stay or to commemorate their visit.] (Peter did not ·know what he was talking about [L realize/know what he was saying].)
34 While he was saying these things, a cloud came and ·covered [overshadowed] them, and they became afraid as ·the cloud covered them [L they entered the cloud]. 35 [L And; Then] A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son [Ps. 2:7], ·whom I have chosen [or my Chosen One; Is. 42:1]. Listen to him [Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22]!”
36 When the voice finished speaking, only Jesus was there. Peter, John, and James ·said nothing [kept silent] and told no one at that time what they had seen.
Jesus Heals a Sick Boy(G)
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. 38 A man in the crowd ·shouted [cried out] to him, “Teacher, ·please [L I beg you to] come and look at my son, because he is my only child. 39 [L And look/T behold] ·An evil spirit [L A spirit] seizes my son, and suddenly ·he [or it] screams. It causes him to ·lose control of himself [have convulsions] and foam at the mouth. The evil spirit ·keeps on hurting [batters; mauls] him and almost never leaves him. 40 I begged your ·followers [disciples] to ·force [drive; cast] the evil spirit out, but they could not do it.”
41 Jesus answered, “·You people have no faith, and your lives are all wrong [L O unbelieving and corrupt/perverse generation]. How long must I stay with you and ·put up with [endure; bear with] you? Bring your son here.”
42 While the boy was coming, the demon threw him on the ground ·and made him lose control of himself [in convulsions]. But Jesus ·gave a strong command to [rebuked] the ·evil [defiling; L unclean; 4:33] spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 All the people were ·amazed [astonished; awestruck] at the ·great power [majesty; greatness] of God.
Jesus Talks About His Death(H)
While everyone was ·wondering [marveling] about all that Jesus did, he said to his ·followers [disciples], 44 “·Don’t forget what I tell you now [L Put these words into your ears]: [L For] The Son of Man will be ·handed over [betrayed; delivered] to ·people [his enemies; L human hands].” 45 But ·the followers [L they] did not understand ·what this meant [L this word/statement]; the meaning was hidden from them so they could not ·understand [perceive it; grasp it]. But they were afraid to ask Jesus about it.
Who Is the Greatest?(I)
46 Jesus’ followers began to have an argument about which one of them ·was [would be] the greatest. 47 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he took a little child and stood the child beside him. 48 Then Jesus said, “Whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] this little child in my name ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me [C children had low social status, so the saying indicates concern for the lowly]. And whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me ·accepts [welcomes; receives] the One who sent me, because whoever is least among you all is really the greatest.”
Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us(J)
49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone using your name to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of people. We told him to stop, because he ·does not belong to our group [L does not follow with us].”
50 But Jesus said to him, “Don’t ·stop [hinder; forbid] him, because whoever is not against you is for you.”
A Town Rejects Jesus
51 When the time was coming near for Jesus to ·depart [ascend], he ·was determined to go to [resolutely set out for; L set his face toward] Jerusalem [Matt. 19:1–2; Mark 10:1]. 52 He sent some messengers ahead of him, who went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for him. 53 But the people there would not ·welcome [receive] him, because he was ·set on going to [heading towards; L traveling with his face toward] Jerusalem [C Samaritans worshiped at Mount Gerizim, not in Jerusalem]. 54 When James and John, ·followers [disciples] of Jesus, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and ·destroy [burn up; consume] those people[a] [2 Kin. 1:10]?”
55 But Jesus turned and ·scolded [rebuked] them. |And Jesus said, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. 56 The Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] did not come to destroy the ·souls [lives] of people but to save them.”|[b] Then they went to another town.
Following Jesus(K)
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you ·any place [wherever] you go.”
58 Jesus said to them, “The foxes have ·holes [dens] to live in, and the ·birds [L birds of the sky] have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to ·rest [lay] his head.”
59 Jesus said to another man, “Follow me!”
But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the people who are [C spiritually] dead bury their own dead. You must go and ·tell about [proclaim] the kingdom of God.”
61 Another man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to my family.”
62 Jesus said, “Anyone who ·begins to plow a field [L puts a hand to the plow] but keeps looking back is ·of no use in [or not fit for] the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9
English Standard Version
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
9 (A)And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 (B)and he sent them out to (C)proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 (D)And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, (E)no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.[a] 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town (F)shake off the dust from your feet (G)as a testimony (H)against them.” 6 (I)And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Herod Is Perplexed by Jesus
7 (J)Now (K)Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that (L)John had been raised from the dead, 8 (M)by some that Elijah had appeared, and (N)by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. 9 Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And (O)he sought to see him.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
10 On their return (P)the apostles told him all that they had done. (Q)And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he (R)welcomed them and (S)spoke to them of the kingdom of God and (T)cured those who had need of healing. 12 Now (U)the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, (V)“Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” 13 But he said to them, (W)“You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than (X)five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” 14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 And they did so, and had them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, (Y)he looked up to heaven and (Z)said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
18 (AA)Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, (AB)“John the Baptist. But others say, (AC)Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, (AD)“The Christ of God.”
Jesus Foretells His Death
21 (AE)And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 (AF)saying, (AG)“The Son of Man must (AH)suffer many things and (AI)be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on (AJ)the third day be raised.”
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him (AK)deny himself and (AL)take up his cross (AM)daily and follow me. 24 For (AN)whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 (AO)For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For (AP)whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed (AQ)when he comes in (AR)his glory and the glory of the Father and of (AS)the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not (AT)taste death (AU)until they see the kingdom of God.”
The Transfiguration
28 (AV)Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him (AW)Peter and John and James and (AX)went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was (AY)altered, and (AZ)his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure,[b] which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him (BA)were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake (BB)they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three (BC)tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—(BD)not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, (BE)a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And (BF)a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, (BG)my Chosen One;[c] (BH)listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. (BI)And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
37 (BJ)On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for (BK)he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but (BL)they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “O (BM)faithless and twisted generation, (BN)how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus (BO)rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and (BP)gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astonished at (BQ)the majesty of God.
Jesus Again Foretells His Death
(BR)But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus[d] said (BS)to his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears: (BT)The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 (BU)But they did not understand this saying, and (BV)it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
Who Is the Greatest?
46 (BW)An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, (BX)“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and (BY)whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For (BZ)he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
Anyone Not Against Us Is For Us
49 (CA)John answered, “Master, we saw someone (CB)casting out demons in your name, and (CC)we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, (CD)for the one who is not against you is for you.”
A Samaritan Village Rejects Jesus
51 When the days drew near for (CE)him to be taken up, (CF)he set his face (CG)to go to Jerusalem. 52 And (CH)he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of (CI)the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But (CJ)the people did not receive him, because (CK)his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell (CL)fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”[e] 55 But he turned and rebuked them.[f] 56 And they went on to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus
57 As they were going (CM)along the road, (CN)someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus[g] said to him, “Leave (CO)the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and (CP)proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, (CQ)but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, (CR)“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Footnotes
- Luke 9:3 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
- Luke 9:31 Greek exodus
- Luke 9:35 Some manuscripts my Beloved
- Luke 9:43 Greek he
- Luke 9:54 Some manuscripts add as Elijah did
- Luke 9:55 Some manuscripts add And he said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; 56 for the Son of Man came not to destroy people's lives but to save them”
- Luke 9:60 Greek he
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The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
