Mark 9
Legacy 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 having come in power.”
2 (B)And six days later, Jesus *took with Him (C)Peter and James and John, and *brought them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; 3 and (D)His garments were shining intensely white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses and they were conversing with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and *said to Jesus, “(E)Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; (F)let us make three [a]booths, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. 7 Then a cloud [b]formed, overshadowing them, and (G)a voice [c]came out of the cloud, “(H)This is My beloved Son, [d]listen to Him!” 8 And all at once when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.
9 (I)And as they were coming down from the mountain, He (J)gave them orders not to recount to anyone what they had seen, [e]until the Son of Man rose from the dead. 10 And they [f]seized upon [g]that statement, arguing with one another [h]what rising from the dead meant. 11 And they began asking Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that (K)Elijah must come first?” 12 And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore 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 [i]indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”
I Believe, Help My Unbelief
14 (N)And when they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were (O)amazed. And as they ran up, they were greeting Him. 16 And He asked them, “What are you arguing with them?” 17 And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; 18 and [j]whenever it seizes him, it [k]slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and [l]becomes rigid. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and 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, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around, foaming at the mouth. 21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ (P)All things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and was saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” 25 Now when Jesus saw that (Q)a crowd was [n]rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, [o]I 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 stood up. 28 And when He came (R)into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
30 (S)From there they went out and were going through Galilee, and He was not wanting anyone to know about it. 31 For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “(T)The Son of Man is to be [q]delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise again three days later.” 32 But (U)they [r]did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.
33 (V)And they came to Capernaum; and when He [s]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, [t]he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And taking a child, He set him [u]before them. And taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “(Z)Whoever receives [v]one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”
Warnings About Discipleship
38 (AA)John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and (AB)we tried to hinder 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 he who is not against us is [w]for us. 41 For (AD)whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name because you are of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.
42 “(AE)And whoever causes one of these [x]little ones who believe to stumble, it [y]would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he [z]had been cast into the sea. 43 (AF)And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into [aa](AG)hell, into the (AH)unquenchable fire, 44 [ab][and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into [ac](AI)hell, 46 [ad][and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 47 (AJ)And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into [ae](AK)hell, 48 (AL)where their worm does not die, and (AM)the fire is not quenched.
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but (AN)if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you [af]make it salty again? (AO)Have salt in yourselves, and (AP)be at peace with one another.”
Footnotes
- Mark 9:5 Or tents, tabernacles, cf. Lev 23:34-43; Deut 16:13-15; Zech 14:16-19
- Mark 9:7 Or occurred
- Mark 9:7 Or 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 statement
- Mark 9:10 Lit what was the rising from the dead
- Mark 9:13 Lit also
- Mark 9:18 Or wherever
- Mark 9:18 Or tears him
- Mark 9:18 Or withers away
- Mark 9:20 Lit him
- Mark 9:25 Or running together
- Mark 9:25 Or I Myself command
- Mark 9:25 Or from now on
- Mark 9:31 Or betrayed
- Mark 9:32 Lit were not knowing
- Mark 9:33 Lit had come
- Mark 9:35 Or let him be
- Mark 9:36 Lit in their midst
- Mark 9:37 Lit one of such children
- Mark 9:40 Or on our side
- Mark 9:42 Humble
- Mark 9:42 Lit is better for him if a millstone turned by a donkey is hung
- Mark 9:42 Lit has been thrown
- Mark 9:43 Gr Gehenna
- Mark 9:44 vv 44 and 46, which are identical to v 48, are not found in the early mss
- Mark 9:45 Gr Gehenna
- Mark 9:46 See v 44, note 1
- Mark 9:47 Gr Gehenna
- Mark 9:50 Lit season it
Mark 9
Expanded Bible
9 Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you the truth, some people standing here will not ·die [L taste death] before they see the kingdom of God ·come [arrive] with power.” [C “Seeing the kingdom of God” may refer to the Transfiguration that follows (9:1–8), Jesus’ resurrection, or the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70.]
The Transfiguration on the Mountain(A)
2 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John [L and led them] up on a high mountain by themselves. ·While they watched [In their presence; In front of them], Jesus’ appearance was ·changed [transformed; T transfigured]. 3 His clothes became shining white, whiter than any ·person [launderer on earth] could ·make them [bleach them]. 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared to them, talking with Jesus. [C God had given the Law through Moses, and Elijah was an important prophet (see 6:1); together they signify that Jesus fulfills the OT.]
5 Peter said to Jesus, “·Teacher [L Rabbi], 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.] 6 Peter did not know what to say, because he and the others were so frightened.
7 Then a cloud came and ·covered [overshadowed; Ex. 24:15] them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my ·Son, whom I love [dearly loved Son; Ps. 2:7; Gen. 22:2; Mark 1:11]. Listen to him [Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22]!”
8 Suddenly Peter, James, and John looked around, but they saw only Jesus there alone with them.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ·commanded [instructed] them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 So they ·obeyed Jesus [kept this statement/matter to themselves], but they discussed what he meant about rising from the dead.
11 Then they asked Jesus, “Why do the ·teachers of the law [scribes] say that Elijah must come first [Mal. 3:1; 4:5]?”
12 Jesus answered, “·They are right to say that Elijah must come first and [L Elijah is indeed coming, and he will] ·make everything the way it should be [restore/prepare everything]. But why does the Scripture say that the Son of Man will suffer much and ·that people will treat him as if he were nothing [be despised; be treated with contempt; be rejected; Is. 52:13—53:12]? 13 [L But] I tell you that Elijah has already come. And ·people [L they] did to him whatever they wanted to do, just as ·the Scriptures said it would happen [it is written about him].”
Jesus Heals a Sick Boy(B)
14 When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came back to the other ·followers [disciples], they saw a great crowd around them and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] arguing with them. 15 But as soon as the crowd saw Jesus, the people were ·surprised [amazed] and ran to welcome him.
16 Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about?”
17 A man [in the crowd] answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has an evil spirit in him that ·stops him from talking [makes him mute]. 18 When the spirit attacks him, it throws him on the ground. Then my son foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes ·very stiff [rigid]. I asked your ·followers [disciples] to ·force [drive; cast] the evil spirit out, but they couldn’t.”
19 Jesus answered, “You ·people have no faith [unbelieving/faithless generation]. How long must I stay with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So ·the followers [L they] brought him to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it ·made the boy lose control of himself [threw the boy into convulsions], and he fell down and rolled on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening?”
The father answered, “Since ·he was very young [childhood]. 22 The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to ·kill [destroy] him. If you can do anything for him, please have ·pity [compassion] on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to the father, “You said, ‘If you can!’ All things are possible for the one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father cried out, “I do believe! Help ·me to believe more [me not to doubt; me overcome my unbelief; L my unbelief]!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he ·ordered [rebuked] the ·evil [defiling; L unclean] spirit, saying, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you to come out of this boy and never enter him again!”
26 The evil spirit screamed and ·caused the boy to fall on the ground again [convulsed him violently]. Then the spirit came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and many people said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took hold of the boy’s hand and helped him to stand up.
28 When Jesus went into the house, his ·followers [disciples] began asking him privately, “Why couldn’t we ·force [drive; cast] that evil spirit out?”
29 Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can only be forced out by prayer.”[a]
Jesus Again Talks About His Death(C)
30 Then Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] left that place and went through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know where he was, 31 because he was teaching his ·followers [disciples]. He said to them, “The Son of Man will be ·handed over [delivered over; betrayed] to ·people [L human hands], and they will kill him [C the “handing over” may be Judas’ betrayal or God’s actions in “giving up” his Son to accomplish salvation; Rom. 4:25]. After three days, he will rise from the dead.” 32 But they did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask him.
Who Is the Greatest?(D)
33 Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went to Capernaum. When they went into a house there, he asked them, “What were you ·arguing about [discussing] on the road?” 34 But they did not answer, because their ·argument [discussion] on the road was about which one of them was the greatest.
35 Jesus sat down and called ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve] to him. He said, “Whoever wants to be ·the most important [first] must be last of all and servant of all.”
36 Then Jesus took a small child and had ·him [or her; C the Greek here does not specify gender] stand among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said, 37 “Whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] a child like this in my name [C as a representative or follower of Jesus] accepts me. And whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me accepts [not only me, but] the One who sent me.” [C Children had low social status, so the saying indicates concern for the lowly.]
Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us(E)
38 Then John said, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name [C invoking your authority] to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of a person. We told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group.”
39 But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him, because anyone who uses my name to do powerful things will not ·easily [quickly] say evil things about me. 40 Whoever is not against us is ·with [for] us. 41 I tell you the truth, whoever gives you a drink of water because you belong to the ·Christ [Messiah] will ·truly get [L certainly not lose] his reward.
42 “If someone causes one of these little children who believes in me to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], it would be better for that person to have a ·large stone [large millstone; L millstone of a donkey] tied around his neck and be ·drowned [L thrown] in the sea. 43 If your hand causes you ·to sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and live forever [L to enter life maimed] than to have two hands and go to ·hell [L Gehenna; C a valley outside of Jerusalem where in the OT period children were sacrificed to a pagan god; later used as a burning trash heap; a metaphor for hell], where the fire never goes out. |44 In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out.|[b] 45 If your foot causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and to live forever [L to enter life crippled] than to have two feet and be thrown into ·hell [Gehenna; v. 43]. |46 In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out.|[c] 47 If your eye causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], take it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into ·hell [Gehenna; v. 43]. 48 In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out. 49 Every person will be salted with fire. [C The meaning of this proverb is uncertain; it may mean that the testing of believers purifies (fire) and preserves (salt); or it may refer to believers as God’s covenant people, since salt and fire were part of the OT sacrificial system; see Lev. 2:3; Num. 18:9.]
50 “Salt is good, but if the salt loses its salty taste, you cannot make it salty again. So, ·be full of salt [L have salt in/among yourselves; C salt here may symbolize fellowship within the covenant], and have peace with each other.”
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