Mark 9
9
1Jesus went on to say, “I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!”
The Transfiguration
2Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, 3and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. 4Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus.
5Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials#9:5 Greek three tabernacles.—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified.
7Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.” 8Suddenly, when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus with them.
9As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man#9:9 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself. had risen from the dead. 10So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what he meant by “rising from the dead.”
11Then they asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?#9:11 Greek that Elijah must come first?”
12Jesus responded, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. Yet why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be treated with utter contempt? 13But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they chose to abuse him, just as the Scriptures predicted.”
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
14When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him.
16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
17One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.#9:18 Or becomes weak. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
19Jesus said to them,#9:19 Or said to his disciples. “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
25When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil#9:25 Greek unclean. spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
26Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”
29Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.#9:29 Some manuscripts read by prayer and fasting.”
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
30Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there, 31for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” 32They didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
33After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” 34But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”
36Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37“Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf#9:37 Greek in my name. welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”
Using the Name of Jesus
38John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.”
39 “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. 40Anyone who is not against us is for us. 41If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.
42 “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. 43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell#9:43a Greek Gehenna; also in 9:45, 47. with two hands.#9:43b Some manuscripts add verse 44, ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’ See 9:48. 45If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet.#9:45 Some manuscripts add verse 46, ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’ See 9:48. 47And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’#9:48 Isa 66:24.
49 “For everyone will be tested with fire. # 9:49 Greek salted with fire; other manuscripts add and every sacrifice will be salted with salt. 50Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.”
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Mark 9: NLT
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Mark 9
9
1I can assure you that some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom come with power.
The True Glory of Jesus
(Matthew 17.1-13; Luke 9.28-36)
2 #
2 P 1.17,18. Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him. They went up on a high mountain, where they could be alone. There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. 3And his clothes became much whiter than any bleach on earth could make them. 4Then Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Jesus.
5Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6But Peter and the others were terribly frightened, and he did not know what he was talking about.
7 #
Mt 3.17; Mk 1.11; Lk 3.22. The shadow of a cloud passed over and covered them. From the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, and I love him. Listen to what he says!” 8At once the disciples looked around, but they saw only Jesus.
9As Jesus and his disciples were coming down the mountain, he told them not to say a word about what they had seen, until the Son of Man had been raised from death. 10So they kept it to themselves. But they wondered what he meant by the words “raised from death.”
11 #
Ml 4.5; Mt 11.14. The disciples asked Jesus, “Don't the teachers of the Law of Moses say that Elijah must come before the Messiah does?”
12 #
Si 48.10. Jesus answered:
Elijah certainly will come#9.12 Elijah certainly will come: See the note at 6.15. to get everything ready. But don't the Scriptures also say that the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected? 13I can assure you that Elijah has already come. And people treated him just as they wanted to, as the Scriptures say they would.
Jesus Heals a Boy
(Matthew 17.14-20; Luke 9.37-43a)
14When Jesus and his three disciples came back down, they saw a large crowd around the other disciples. The teachers of the Law of Moses were arguing with them.
15The crowd was really surprised to see Jesus, and everyone hurried over to greet him.
16Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about?”
17Someone from the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. A demon keeps him from talking. 18Whenever the demon attacks my son, it throws him to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grit his teeth in pain. Then he becomes stiff. I asked your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn't do it.”
19Jesus said, “You people don't have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20They brought the boy, and as soon as the demon saw Jesus, it made the boy shake all over. He fell down and began rolling on the ground and foaming at the mouth.
21Jesus asked the boy's father, “How long has he been like this?”
The man answered, “Ever since he was a child. 22The demon has often tried to kill him by throwing him into a fire or into water. Please have pity and help us if you can!”
23Jesus replied, “Why do you say ‘if you can’? Anything is possible for someone who has faith!”
24At once the boy's father shouted, “I do have faith! Please help me to have even more.”
25When Jesus saw that a crowd was gathering fast, he spoke sternly to the evil spirit that had kept the boy from speaking or hearing. He said, “I order you to come out of the boy! Don't ever bother him again.”
26The spirit screamed and made the boy shake all over. Then it went out of him. The boy looked dead, and almost everyone said he was. 27But Jesus took hold of his hand and helped him stand up.
28After Jesus and the disciples had gone back home and were alone, they asked him, “Why couldn't we force out that demon?”
29Jesus answered, “Only prayer can force out this kind of demon.”
Jesus Again Speaks about His Death
(Matthew 17.22,23; Luke 9.43b-45)
30Jesus left with his disciples and started through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know about it, 31because he was teaching the disciples that the Son of Man would be handed over to people who would kill him. But three days later he would rise to life. 32The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask.
Who Is the Greatest?
(Matthew 18.1-5; Luke 9.46-48)
33Jesus and his disciples went to his home in Capernaum. After they were inside the house, Jesus asked them, “What were you arguing about along the way?” 34#Lk 22.24. They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest, and so they did not answer.
35 #
Mt 20.26,27; 23.11; Mk 10.43,44; Lk 22.26. After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, “If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!”
36Then Jesus asked a child to stand near him. He put his arm around the child and said, 37#Mt 10.40; Lk 10.16; Jn 13.20. “When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me.”
For or against Jesus
(Luke 9.49,50)
38John 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.”
39Jesus 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#Mt 12.30; Lk 11.23. Anyone who isn't against us is for us. 41#Mt 10.42. 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)
42It 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#Mt 5.30. 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.#9.43,44 never go out: Some manuscripts add, “The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning.” 45-46If 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.#9.45,46 thrown into hell: Some manuscripts add, “The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning.” 47#Mt 5.29. 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#Is 66.24. The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning.
49Everyone must be salted with fire.#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.
50 #
Mt 5.13; Lk 14.34,35. 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.#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.
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