Mark 9

1He also said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power.”

2Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain, alone by themselves. There he was transfigured before them,

3and his clothes became dazzling, intensely white, whiter than any launderer on earth could bleach them.

4Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

5Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

6For he did not know what to say, because they were terrified.

7Then a cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

8Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.

9As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

10So they kept the matter to themselves, discussing what this rising from the dead meant.

11They asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

12He said to them, “Elijah does come first and restores all things. Yet how is it written about the Son of Man that he must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

13But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written about him.”

14When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.

15As soon as the whole crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran up to greet him.

16He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”

17Someone in the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak.

18Whenever 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.”

19He answered them, “You unbelieving generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.”

20So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

21Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He said, “Since childhood.

22It has often thrown him into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

23Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

24Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

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

26After crying out and throwing the boy into terrible convulsions, it came out. The boy became like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”

27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he stood up.

28After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?”

29He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

30They left there and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know it,

31for he was teaching his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into human hands. They will kill him, and three days after being killed he will rise again.”

32But they did not understand what he meant, and they were afraid to ask him.

33They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”

34But they kept quiet, because on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.

35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, they must be last of all and servant of all.”

36Then he took a little child and stood the child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,

37“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

38John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”

39But Jesus said, “Do not stop him. No one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.

40For whoever is not against us is for us.

41For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to the Messiah—truly I tell you—will certainly not lose their reward.

42And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone hung around their neck and be thrown into the sea.

43If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go into hell, into the fire that is never put out,

44[where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.]

45If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell,

46[where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.]

47And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear 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,

48where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.

49For everyone will be salted with fire.

50Salt is good, but if salt loses its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”