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Mark 9:38-50
New American Standard Bible
Mark 9:38-50
New American Standard Bible
Dire Warnings
38 (A)John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and (B)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 (C)For the one who is not against us is [a]for us. 41 For (D)whoever gives you a cup of water to drink [b]because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.
42 “(E)Whoever causes one of these [c]little ones who believe in Me to [d]sin, it is better for him if a heavy millstone is hung around his neck and he [e]is thrown into the sea. 43 And (F)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 [f](G)hell, into the (H)unquenchable fire.[g] 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 [h](I)hell.[i] 47 And (J)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 [j](K)hell, 48 (L)where their worm does not die, and (M)the fire is not extinguished. 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but (N)if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you [k]make it salty again? (O)Have salt in yourselves, and (P)be at peace with one another.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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 9:38-50
New International Version
Mark 9:38-50
New International Version
Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us(A)
38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”(B)
39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us.(C) 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.(D)
Causing to Stumble
42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble,(E) it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.(F) 43 If your hand causes you to stumble,(G) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell,(H) where the fire never goes out.(I) [44] [a] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble,(J) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.(K) [46] [b] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble,(L) pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,(M) 48 where
49 Everyone will be salted(O) with fire.
50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?(P) Have salt among yourselves,(Q) and be at peace with each other.”(R)
Mark 9:38-50
Contemporary English Version
Mark 9:38-50
Contemporary English Version
For or against Jesus
(Luke 9.49,50)
38 John said, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But he wasn't one of us, and we told him to stop.”
39 Jesus said to his disciples:
Don't stop him! No one who works miracles in my name will soon turn and say something bad about me. 40 (A) Anyone who isn't against us is for us. 41 (B) And anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name, just because you belong to me, will surely be rewarded.
Temptations To Sin
(Matthew 18.6-9; Luke 17.1,2)
42 It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks. 43-44 (C) So if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! You would be better off to go into life paralyzed than to have two hands and be thrown into the fires of hell that never go out.[a] 45-46 If your foot causes you to sin, chop it off. You would be better off to go into life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.[b] 47 (D) If your eye causes you to sin, get rid of it. You would be better off to go into God's kingdom with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. 48 (E) The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning.
49 Everyone must be salted with fire.[c]
50 (F) Salt is good. But if it no longer tastes like salt, how can it be made salty again? Have salt among you and live at peace with each other.[d]
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- 9.43,44 never go out: Some manuscripts add, “The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning.”
- 9.45,46 thrown into hell: Some manuscripts add, “The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning.”
- 9.49 salted with fire: Some manuscripts add “and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.” The verse may mean that Christ's followers must suffer because of their faith.
- 9.50 Have salt among you and live at peace with each other: This may mean that when Christ's followers have to suffer because of their faith, they must still try to live at peace with each other.
Mark 9:38-50
The Message
Mark 9:38-50
The Message
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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