Mark 9:14-29

Evangelical Heritage Version

Jesus Heals a Boy With a Demon

¹⁴ When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some experts in the law were arguing with them. ¹⁵ As soon as all the people in the crowd saw Jesus, they were very excited and ran to greet him. ¹⁶ He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”

¹⁷ One man from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. ¹⁸ Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

¹⁹ “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied. “How long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring him to me.”

²⁰ They brought the boy to Jesus. As soon as the spirit saw him, it threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

“From childhood,” he said. ²² “It has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

²³ “If you can?”^[a] Jesus said to him. “All things are possible for the one who believes.”

²⁴ The child’s father immediately cried out and said with tears,^[b] “I do believe. Help me with my unbelief!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit. “You mute and deaf spirit,” he said, “I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!”

²⁶ The spirit screamed, shook the boy violently, and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many of them said, “He’s dead!” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him up, and he stood up.

²⁸ When Jesus went into a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why were we not able to drive it out?”

²⁹ He said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out, except by prayer and fasting.”^[c]