Mark 9
New American Standard Bible
The Transfiguration
9 And Jesus was saying to them, “(A)Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God when it has come with power.”
2 (B)And six days later Jesus *took with Him (C)Peter, [a]James, and John, and *brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was [b]transfigured before them; 3 and (D)His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter responded and *said to Jesus, “(E)Rabbi, it is good that we are here; (F)let’s make three [c]tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know how to reply; for they became terrified. 7 Then a cloud [d]formed, overshadowing them, and (G)a voice [e]came out of the cloud: “(H)This is My beloved Son; [f]listen to Him!” 8 And suddenly they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.
9 (I)As they were coming down from the mountain, He (J)gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, [g]until the Son of Man rose from the dead. 10 They [h]seized upon [i]that statement, discussing with one another [j]what rising from the dead meant. 11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that (K)Elijah must come first?” 12 And He said to them, “Elijah does come first and he restores all things. And yet how is it written of (L)the Son of Man that (M)He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has [k]indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written of him.”
All Things Possible
14 (N)And when they came back to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15 Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were (O)amazed and began running up to greet Him. 16 And He asked them, “What are you disputing with them?” 17 And one person from the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, because he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; 18 and [l]whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes stiff. And I told Your disciples so that they would cast it out, but they could not do it.” 19 And He answered them and *said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” 20 And they brought [m]the boy to Him. When he saw Him, the spirit immediately threw him into convulsions, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23 But Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ (P)All things are possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that (Q)a crowd was [n]rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I [o]command you, come out of him and do not enter him [p]again!” 26 And after crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him, and he got up. 28 When He came (R)into the house, His disciples began asking Him privately, “Why is it that we could not cast it out?” 29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything except prayer.”
Death and Resurrection Foretold
30 (S)And from there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it. 31 For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “(T)The Son of Man is to be [q]handed over to men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” 32 But (U)they [r]did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.
33 (V)They came to Capernaum; and when He was in (W)the house, He began to question them: “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way (X)they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 And sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “(Y)If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And He took a child and placed him among them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “(Z)Whoever [s]receives [t]one child like this in My name [u]receives Me; and whoever [v]receives Me does not [w]receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”
Dire Warnings
38 (AA)John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and (AB)we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. 40 (AC)For the one who is not against us is [x]for us. 41 For (AD)whoever gives you a cup of water to drink [y]because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.
42 “(AE)Whoever causes one of these [z]little ones who believe in Me to [aa]sin, it is better for him if a heavy millstone is hung around his neck and he [ab]is thrown into the sea. 43 And (AF)if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed, than, having your two hands, to go into [ac](AG)hell, into the (AH)unquenchable fire.[ad] 45 And if your foot is causing you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life without a foot, than, having your two feet, to be thrown into [ae](AI)hell.[af] 47 And (AJ)if your eye is causing you to sin, throw it away; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be thrown into [ag](AK)hell, 48 (AL)where their worm does not die, and (AM)the fire is not extinguished. 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but (AN)if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you [ah]make it salty again? (AO)Have salt in yourselves, and (AP)be at peace with one another.”
Footnotes
- Mark 9:2 Or Jacob
- Mark 9:2 I.e., visibly changed
- Mark 9:5 Or sacred tents
- Mark 9:7 Lit occurred
- Mark 9:7 Lit occurred
- Mark 9:7 Or give constant heed
- Mark 9:9 Lit except when
- Mark 9:10 Or kept to themselves
- Mark 9:10 Lit the word
- Mark 9:10 Lit what was the rising from the dead
- Mark 9:13 Lit even
- Mark 9:18 Or wherever
- Mark 9:20 Lit him
- Mark 9:25 Lit running together
- Mark 9:25 Or Myself command
- Mark 9:25 Or from now on
- Mark 9:31 Or betrayed
- Mark 9:32 Lit were not knowing
- Mark 9:37 Or welcomes
- Mark 9:37 Lit one of such children
- Mark 9:37 Or welcomes
- Mark 9:37 Or welcomes
- Mark 9:37 Or welcome
- Mark 9:40 Or on our side
- Mark 9:41 Lit in a name that you are Christ’s
- Mark 9:42 Or lowly
- Mark 9:42 Or stumble
- Mark 9:42 Lit has been thrown (intensified)
- Mark 9:43 Gr Gehenna
- Mark 9:43 Late mss repeat v 48 here as v 44
- Mark 9:45 Gr Gehenna
- Mark 9:45 Late mss repeat v 48 here as v 46; cf. note 2 v 43
- Mark 9:47 Gr Gehenna
- Mark 9:50 Lit season it
Mark 9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
9 1
The Transfiguration
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,(B) 3 and his clothes became dazzling bright, such as no one[b] on earth could brighten them.(C) 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”(D) 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved;[c] listen to him!”(E) 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
The Coming of Elijah
9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. 11 Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12 He said to them, “Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.”
The Healing of a Boy with a Spirit
14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them and some scribes arguing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak, 18 and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid, and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” 19 He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy[d] to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy,[e] and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus[f] asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, help us! Have compassion on us!” 23 Jesus said to him, “If you are able! All things can be done for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out,[g] “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” 26 After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. 28 When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”(F) 29 He said to them, “This kind can come out only through prayer.”[h]
Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.”(G) 32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.(H)
Who Is the Greatest?
33 Then they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.(I) 35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”(J) 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them, and taking it in his arms he said to them,(K) 37 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”(L)
Another Exorcist
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,[i] and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.”(M) 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us.(N) 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.(O)
Temptations to Sin
42 “If any of you cause one of these little ones who believe in me[j] to sin,[k] it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.(P) 43 If your hand causes you to sin,[l] cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell,[m] to the unquenchable fire.[n](Q) 45 And if your foot causes you to sin,[o] cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell.[p][q](R) 47 And if your eye causes you to sin,[r] tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,[s](S) 48 where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.(T)
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire.[t](U) 50 Salt is good, but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it?[u] Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”(V)
Footnotes
- 9.1 Or in
- 9.3 Gk no fuller
- 9.7 Or my beloved Son
- 9.20 Gk him
- 9.20 Gk him
- 9.21 Gk He
- 9.24 Other ancient authorities add with tears
- 9.29 Other ancient authorities add and fasting
- 9.38 Other ancient authorities add who does not follow us
- 9.42 Other ancient authorities lack in me
- 9.42 Or stumble
- 9.43 Or stumble
- 9.43 Gk Gehenna
- 9.43 Other ancient authorities add 9.44 and 9.46, which are identical to 9.48
- 9.45 Or stumble
- 9.45 Gk Gehenna
- 9.45 Other ancient authorities add 9.44 and 9.46, which are identical to 9.48
- 9.47 Or stumble
- 9.47 Gk Gehenna
- 9.49 Other ancient authorities add or substitute and every sacrifice will be salted with salt
- 9.50 Or how can you restore its saltiness?
Mark 9
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
9 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them.
2 And his garments became shining and exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller upon earth can make white.
3 And there appeared to them Elias with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.
4 And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Rabbi, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 For he knew not what he said: for they were struck with fear.
6 And there was a cloud overshadowing them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying: This is my most beloved son; hear ye him.
7 And immediately looking about, they saw no man any more, but Jesus only with them.
8 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them not to tell any man what things they had seen, till the Son of man shall be risen again from the dead.
9 And they kept the word to themselves; questioning together what that should mean, when he shall be risen from the dead.
10 And they asked him, saying: Why then do the Pharisees and scribes say that Elias must come first?
11 Who answering, said to them: Elias, when he shall come first, shall restore all things; and as it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things and be despised.
12 But I say to you, that Elias also is come, (and they have done to him whatsoever they would,) as it is written of him.
13 And coming to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes disputing with them.
14 And presently all the people seeing Jesus, were astonished and struck with fear; and running to him, they saluted him.
15 And he asked them: What do you question about among you?
16 And one of the multitude, answering, said: Master, I have brought my son to thee, having a dumb spirit.
17 Who, wheresoever he taketh him, dasheth him, and he foameth, and gnasheth with the teeth, and pineth away; and I spoke to thy disciples to cast him out, and they could not.
18 Who answering them, said: O incredulous generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
19 And they brought him. And when he had seen him, immediately the spirit troubled him; and being thrown down upon the ground, he rolled about foaming.
20 And he asked his father: How long time is it since this hath happened unto him? But he said: From his infancy:
21 And oftentimes hath he cast him into the fire and into waters to destroy him. But if thou canst do any thing, help us, having compassion on us.
22 And Jesus saith to him: If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
23 And immediately the father of the boy crying out, with tears said: I do believe, Lord: help my unbelief.
24 And when Jesus saw the multitude running together, he threatened the unclean spirit, saying to him: Deaf and dumb spirit, I command thee, go out of him; and enter not any more into him.
25 And crying out, and greatly tearing him, he went out of him, and he became as dead, so that many said: He is dead.
26 But Jesus taking him by the hand, lifted him up; and he arose.
27 And when he was come into the house, his disciples secretly asked him: Why could not we cast him out?
28 And he said to them: This kind can go out by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
29 And departing from thence, they passed through Galilee, and he would not that any man should know it.
30 And he taught his disciples, and said to them: The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day.
31 But they understood not the word, and they were afraid to ask him.
32 And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he asked them: What did you treat of in the way?
33 But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among themselves, which of them should be the greatest.
34 And sitting down, he called the twelve, and saith to them: If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the minister of all.
35 And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had embraced, he saith to them:
36 Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receiveth me. And whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
37 John answered him, saying: Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, who followeth not us, and we forbade him.
38 But Jesus said: Do not forbid him. For there is no man that doth a miracle in my name, and can soon speak ill of me.
39 For he that is not against you, is for you.
40 For whosoever shall give you to drink a cup of water in my name, because you belong to Christ: amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.
41 And whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me; it were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
42 And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire:
43 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.
44 And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than having two feet, to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire:
45 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.
46 And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God, than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire:
47 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.
48 For every one shall be salted with fire: and every victim shall be salted with salt.
49 Salt is good. But if the salt became unsavoury; wherewith will you season it? Have salt in you, and have peace among you.
Mark 9
The Message
9 Then he drove it home by saying, “This isn’t pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force.”
In a Light-Radiant Cloud
2-4 Six days later, three of them did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. His clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make them. Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus.
5-6 Peter interrupted, “Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing.
7 Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him.”
8 The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus.
9-10 Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. “Don’t tell a soul what you saw. After the Son of Man rises from the dead, you’re free to talk.” They puzzled over that, wondering what on earth “rising from the dead” meant.
11 Meanwhile they were asking, “Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?”
12-13 Jesus replied, “Elijah does come first and get everything ready for the coming of the Son of Man. They treated this Elijah like dirt, much like they will treat the Son of Man, who will, according to Scripture, suffer terribly and be kicked around contemptibly.”
There Are No Ifs
14-16 When they came back down the mountain to the other disciples, they saw a huge crowd around them, and the religion scholars cross-examining them. As soon as the people in the crowd saw Jesus, admiring excitement stirred them. They ran and greeted him. He asked, “What’s going on? What’s all the commotion?”
17-18 A man out of the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my mute son, made speechless by a demon, to you. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes stiff as a board. I told your disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they couldn’t.”
19-20 Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here.” They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth.
21-22 He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?”
“Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!”
23 Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”
24 No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”
25-27 Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!” Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.
28 After arriving back home, his disciples cornered Jesus and asked, “Why couldn’t we throw the demon out?”
29 He answered, “There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon except by prayer.”
30-32 Leaving there, they went through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know their whereabouts, for he wanted to teach his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him. Three days after his murder, he will rise, alive.” They didn’t know what he was talking about, but were afraid to ask him about it.
So You Want First Place?
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was safe at home, he asked them, “What were you discussing on the road?”
34 The silence was deafening—they had been arguing with one another over who among them was greatest.
35 He sat down and summoned the Twelve. “So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all.”
36-37 He put a child in the middle of the room. Then, cradling the little one in his arms, he said, “Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me—God who sent me.”
* * *
38 John spoke up, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn’t in our group.”
39-41 Jesus wasn’t pleased. “Don’t stop him. No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath slam me. If he’s not an enemy, he’s an ally. Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on our side. Count on it that God will notice.
42 “On the other hand, if you give one of these simple, childlike believers a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck.
43-48 “If your hand or your foot gets in God’s way, chop it off and throw it away. You’re better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owner of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You’re better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.
49-50 “Everyone’s going through a refining fire sooner or later, but you’ll be well-preserved, protected from the eternal flames. Be preservatives yourselves. Preserve the peace.”
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