Mark 9
1 He also said to [his disciples], “Listen carefully! Some of you who are here now will see God ruling powerfully in [many ways]. You will see it before you die!”
And he said to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will certainly not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power.”
2 A week later Jesus took Peter, James and [James’ younger brother] John and led them up a high mountain. [While they were] alone up there, he appeared very different to them.
After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them.
3 His clothes became dazzling white. They were whiter than anyone on earth could make them by bleaching them.
His garments became radiant and extremely white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth could whiten them.
4 [Two prophets who had lived long ago], Moses and Elijah, appeared to them. Then the two of them began talking with Jesus.
Then Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 [After a short time], Peter [interrupted by] exclaiming, “Teacher, it is wonderful to be here! So allow us to make three shelters. One [will be] for you, one [will be] for Moses, and one [will be] for Elijah!”
So Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for yoʋ, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
6 [He said this] because [he wanted to say something, but] he did not know what to say, because he and the other [two disciples] were very awestruck.
(For they were terrified, and he did not know what to say.)
7 Then a [shining] cloud appeared that covered them. [God] [EUP] spoke to them from the cloud saying, “This is my Son. I love him. [Therefore], listen to him!”
Then a cloud came and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him!”
8 When [the three disciples] looked around, they saw that suddenly Jesus was alone with them, and that there was no longer anyone [else] there.
And suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus.
9 While they were coming down the mountain, Jesus told them that they should not tell anyone [yet] what had just happened to him. He said, “You may tell them after I, the one who came from heaven, (rise from the dead/become alive again) after I die.”
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 So they did not tell others about it [for a long time]. But they discussed among themselves what it meant when he said that he would (rise from the dead/become alive again) after he died.
So they kept the matter to themselves, discussing what this “rising from the dead” could mean.
11 [The three disciples had just seen Elijah, but Elijah had not done anything to prepare people to accept Jesus. So] they asked Jesus, “The men who teach the [Jewish] laws say that Elijah must come back to the earth before [the Messiah comes to earth. But you have been here a long time and Elijah came just today. So is what they are teaching wrong?]”
Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
12 [Jesus wanted them to know that John the Baptizer was the one who represented Elijah. So] he answered them, “It is true that [God promised to send Elijah to come] first [so that people would be ready when I came]. Elijah’s representative has already come, and our leaders treated him very badly, just like they wanted to do, just like it was prophesied {[the prophets] prophesied} long ago. But, (I also want you to consider what is written {what [the prophets] wrote} in the Scriptures about me, the one who came from heaven./why have you not thought about what is written {what [the prophets] wrote} about me, the one who came from heaven?) [RHQ] It is written {They wrote} that I would suffer much and that I would be rejected {that [many people] would reject me}.”
He answered them, “Elijah does indeed come first to restore all things. How then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?
But I tell you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written about him.”
14 [Jesus and those three disciples] returned to where the [other] disciples were. They saw a large crowd around the other disciples and [some] men who taught the [Jewish] laws arguing with them.
When Jesus came back to the other disciples, he saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.
15 As soon as the crowd saw Jesus, they were very surprised [to see him come]. So they ran to him and greeted him.
When the whole crowd saw him, they were greatly amazed and immediately ran up and greeted him.
16 He asked them, “What are you arguing about?”
Then he asked the scribes, “What are you arguing with them about?”
17 A man in the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son [here in order that] you [would heal him]. There is an evil spirit in him [that makes him] unable to talk.
One man from among the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought yoʋ my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute.
18 Whenever the spirit attacks him, it throws him down. He foams at the mouth, he grinds his teeth together, and he becomes stiff. I asked your disciples to expel the spirit, but they were not able to do it.”
Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked yoʋr disciples to cast it out, but they were not able to do so.”
19 Jesus replied by saying to those people, “(I am very disappointed that [although you] have observed how I help people, you do not believe [that you are able to do anything]!/Why is it that [although you] have observed how I help people, you do not believe [that you are able to do anything]?) [RHQ] (I have been with you a long time, [and you still cannot do what I do]!/How long do I have to be with you [before you can do what I do]?) [RHQ] Bring the boy to me!”
Jesus answered him, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me.”
20 So they brought the boy to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it shook the boy severely, and [the boy] fell on the ground. He rolled around, and he foamed at the mouth.
So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” He replied, “[This started to happen] when he was a child.
Then Jesus asked the boy's father, “How long has this been happening to him?” The father said, “From childhood.
22 [The spirit does not only do this], but he also often throws him into the fire or into the water in order to kill him. But, pity us and help us, if you can!”
It often throws him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him. But if yoʋ are able to do anything, help us and have compassion on us.”
23 Jesus exclaimed to him, “[Do not say] [RHQ] ‘If you can’, for [God/I] can do anything for people who believe [in him/me]!”
Jesus said to him, “The question is whether yoʋ are able to believe. All things are possible for the one who believes.”
24 Immediately the child’s father shouted, “I believe [that you can help me, but I do not believe strongly]. Help me to believe more strongly!”
Immediately the child's father cried out and said with tears, “I believe, Lord; help my unbelief!”
25 Because [Jesus wanted to heal the boy before] the crowd got bigger, he rebuked the evil spirit, saying, “You evil spirit, you who are [causing this boy to be] deaf and unable to talk! I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!”
When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Yoʋ spirit that makes this boy mute and deaf, I command yoʋ, come out of him and never enter him again!”
26 The evil spirit shouted, it shook the boy violently, and then it left the boy. The boy did not move. He seemed like a dead body. So many of the people there said, “He is dead!”
After crying out, the spirit convulsed the boy greatly and came out, and the boy became as though he were dead, so that many said, “He is dead!”
27 However, Jesus took him by the hand and helped him get up. Then the boy stood up. [He was healed]!
But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him up, and the boy arose.
28 Later, when Jesus and his disciples were alone in a house, one of them asked him, “Why were we not able to expel [the evil spirit]?”
Now when Jesus came into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 He said to them, “You can expel this kind [of evil spirit] only by your praying [that God will give you the power to do it]. There is no other way that you can expel them.”
He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything except prayer and fasting.”
30 After [Jesus and his disciples] left that [district], they traveled through Galilee [district]. Jesus did not want anyone [else] to know [that he was in their area]; he did not want
Then they went away from there and passed through Galilee, but Jesus did not want anyone to know it.
31 [anyone to interrupt him] as he taught his disciples. He was telling them, “[Some day my enemies] [SYN] will seize [MTY] me, the one who came from heaven, and I will be handed over [to other] men. Those men will kill me. But on the third day after I am killed {after they kill me}, I will become alive again!”
For he was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered up into the hands of men, and they will kill him. Yet after he has been killed, he will rise on the third day.”
32 But they did not understand what he was telling them. Also, they were afraid to ask him about what he had said.
But they did not understand what this meant, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
33 Jesus and his disciples returned to Capernaum [town]. When they were in the house, he asked them, “What were you discussing [while we were traveling] on the road?”
Then Jesus came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house, he asked the disciples, “What were you discussing among yourselves on the way?”
34 But they did not reply. [They were ashamed to reply] because, [while they were traveling], they had been arguing with each other about which one of them [would be] the most important [when Jesus became king].
But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was greater.
35 He sat down, he summoned the twelve disciples [to come close to him], and then he said to them, “If anyone wants [God to consider him] to be the most important person of all, he must [consider himself] to be the least important person of all, and he must serve everyone [else].”
So Jesus sat down, called the twelve over, and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and a servant to all.”
36 Then he took a child and placed him among them. He took the child in his arms and then he said to them,
Then he took a child and placed him before them. And taking the child in his arms, he said to them,
37 “Those who, [because they love] me, welcome a child like this one, [God considers that] they are welcoming me. So [it is as though] they are also welcoming [God], who sent me.”
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me, but him who sent me.”
38 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone who was expelling demons, ([claiming he had] authority from you [to do that/while telling people] that you [have told him to do it]). So we told him to stop doing it because he was not one of us [disciples].”
John said to him in response, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in yoʋr name, and we told him to stop because he does not follow us.”
39 Jesus said, “Do not tell him [not to do that]! For no one will speak evilly about me just after he performs a miracle while saying that I [have told him to do it].
But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a miracle in my name will be able to speak evil of me soon afterward.
40 Furthermore, those who are not opposing us are trying to [achieve the same goals that] we are.
For whoever is not against you is for you.
41 Also think about this: Those [who belong to me who help you in any way, even] if they [just] give you a cup of water to drink because you follow [me], the Messiah, will certainly be rewarded [by God]!”
Truly I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, will certainly not lose his reward.
42 [Jesus also said], “But if you cause someone who believes in me to sin, [God will severely punish you], even if that person is [socially unimportant like] this little child. If someone tied a heavy stone around your neck and you were thrown {and threw you} into the sea, [you would consider that was a severe punishment. But God will punish you more severely] than that [if you cause a person who believes in me to sin].
“If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
43 [So], if you are [wanting to use one of] [MTY, PRS] [your hands to sin, stop using your hand! Even if you have to] cut your hand off and throw it away [to avoid sinning, do it] [HYP]! It is good that you not sin and that you live eternally, [even though you lack one of] your hands [while you are here on earth]. But it is not good that you sin and as a result God throws your whole body into hell. There the fires never go out! (Geenna g1067)
If yoʋr hand causes yoʋ to stumble, cut it off. It is better for yoʋ to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, (Geenna g1067)
‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
45 If you are [wanting to use] one of [PRS] your feet to sin, [stop using your foot! Even if you have to] cut off your foot [to avoid sinning, do it] [HYP]! It is good that you not sin and live eternally, [even though] you lack one of your feet [while you are here on earth]. But it is not good that you sin and go to hell. (Geenna g1067)
And if yoʋr foot causes yoʋ to stumble, cut it off. It is better for yoʋ to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, into the unquenchable fire, (Geenna g1067)
‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
47 If because of what you see [MTY, PRS] you are tempted to sin, [stop looking at those things]! Even if you have to gouge out your eye and throw it away [HYP] [to avoid sinning, do it! It is good that you not sin and live eternally, even though you lack one of] your eyes [while you are here on earth]. But it is not good that you sin and, as a result, God puts your whole body in hell. (Geenna g1067)
And if yoʋr eye causes yoʋ to stumble, tear it out. It is better for yoʋ to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fires of hell, (Geenna g1067)
48 In that place people suffer forever and the fires are never put out {never go out}.”
‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
49 “[You must endure difficulties in order that God will be pleased with you. Your difficulties are like] a fire [that makes things pure] [MET]. [Your enduring is also like] [MET] salt being put [on] {people putting salt on their} [sacrifices to make them pure].
For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
50 Salt is useful [to put on food], but you cannot [RHQ] make salt to taste salty again if it becomes flavorless [MET]. Similarly, you must remain useful to God, [because no one can make you useful to God again if you become useless]. You must also live peacefully with each other.”
Salt is good, but if it becomes unsalty, with what shall you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
